Merry Christmas Zuko
by TheItGurl
Summary: A modern day story. Just in time for the holidays. Zuko doesn't enjoy the holidays very much, but that all changes when he meets a young singer who can change his mind.
1. December First

"Zuko, wake up! You'll be late for school!" Iroh yelled up the stairs. Zuko groaned and sat up, rubbing his head.

"I'm up! I'm up! God, Uncle, give me a break!" Zuko complained and got out of bed. Another grand day of high school, yippee. He got ready for the day, dressing in a black sweater and jeans and grabbed break fast. His uncle was reading the newspaper at the kitchen table. He looked up when his nephew came down the stairs and greeted him.

"Morning, sleepy head."

"Morning." Zuko replied as he grabbed a bagel.

"Happy December 1st!" Iroh said merrily.

"Hurray." Zuko said sarcastically.

"Oh, Zuko, you're never happy about Christmas. How come?"

"I guess I just never get quite what I asked for." Zuko joked. Iroh laughed, imitating Santa.

"Then what do you want for Christmas?"

"Nothing." Zuko replied.

"Nothing?"

"Nope, can't think of anything." He informed his uncle. Iroh sighed.

"What am I going to do with you?"

"You could just give me cash."

"You know your father pays you every month, you don't need my money. Besides, you'd just spend it on yourself. It's Christmas time, you should be buying other people gifts. Or getting involved with the community."

"I suppose it is the time of giving." Zuko said as he sat down with his bagel.

"I sense sarcasm."

"Yeah, you know it." And he took a bite. Iroh snorted.

"Well your sister is getting involved."

"Zula? Please, there's nothing good about her! She's evil inside and out."

"That's no way to talk about your sister."

"It's the truth!" Zuko tried to convince him.

"You'd better be nice to her when you see her in school today."

"I always am."

"And be polite."

"Whatever."

"I talked to your father the other day. He wants to know if you plan on going home for Christmas." Zuko stuffed the rest of his bagel in his mouth.

"I'll pass." He answered. Iroh sighed.

"You can't avoid your father forever."

"Nope, but I can try." Zuko got up and walked to the door. Iroh followed him.

"It's cold outside. We got four more inches last night. I suggest you bundle up."

"Stop nagging." Zuko pleaded as he zipped up his big, red, down coat. Iroh reached up into the closet and pulled out Zuko's ski hat. He placed it on his head. "Uncle, I'm not four!"

"Sorry, sorry! I just want to make sure you're warm. Zuko put his gloves on and his boots. He hated this every morning, getting bundled up with more weight just because Mother Nature decided to make everything so godly cold. In fact, he just hated winter period. "I will see you after school, Zuko."

"Yeah."

"Have a nice day." And Zuko left. He walked out to his red sports car and got in. He turned the key in the ignition, but instead of backing out, his tires spun in the snow. He growled and hit the gas full force, but still the car went nowhere. So he got out of the car and marched to the back, grumbling to himself about how he hated the snow. And he summoned his chi and sent flames from his fists, melting the snow around the tires. Then he went back into his car, still grumbling about the whole situation and backed out. This time he made it successfully out of the driveway and went off to school.

Upon entering, he removed his scarf and his hat as he walked to his locker. His locker wasn't the biggest, so he took out his books and stuffed his coat in his locker, fighting it to get in every step of the way! He tried folding it, and rolling it and eventually gave up and started to just crumble it up and shove it into his locker. His friend Sokka walked up to him and spoke. "Locker troubles?" he asked as he opened his own locker.

"Hey Sokka." He grunted as he slammed his locker shut. Finally!

"Yeah, the whole coat- in-the-locker deal. I know all about that." Sokka said. Zuko sighed and picked up his backpack. He threw it over his shoulder and looked at Sokka. Katara walked over with Aang. The whole group was there.

"Hey everyone." Aang greeted them all. "Cold day huh?"

"You're telling me." Zuko replied. "

"I think we should have had a snow day." Katara stated. The rest of them agreed.

"Mom said we would have, but the superintendent is new and doesn't give in so easily." Sokka reminded Katara.

"I hate that guy!" Zuko spoke up. "We haven't had a snow day yet!"

"Well, we'll soon be off for Christmas break, so let's all try to be patient." Katara instructed.

"Hey scar face!" said a voice from behind Zuko. Zuko rolled his eyes. He knew who it was.

"Hello Zula." He growled and Zula walked from behind him.

She had a fur jacket on and a matching purse. As usual, she had to look like she was on top, because in her mind she was. That was the thing about Zula, she was too self confident, not to mention self absorbed. She was the coolest of cool, the hottest of hot and the finest of fine in her book. But to everyone else she was nothing but a brat. And she saw that as a compliment. To Zuko, she was his nightmare since they were in diapers. She was the family favorite, except to Uncle Iroh. She had better grades than Zuko, more friends and, thanks to his scar, better looks. And Zula took advantage of every single subject she beat him in, making sure to put him in his place.

"Why Katara…" she directed her attention to the only girl in the bunch, "Where did you get that sweater? I saw one just like it at the salvation army when I was dropping off some of my clothes." Ouch! Katara turned red and refrained from saying anything. Zula turned and looked at Aang next. "Still hanging out with this little boy, Zuko?" Zula spoke up about Aang, making him blush. Then the turned back to Zuko. "Dad says 'hi'." She stated. Zuko just looked away. Zula giggled.


	2. The Deal

The gang began to walk away, to leave Zula standing there alone. But Zula followed, bushing through them to get next to her big brother. Zuko tried his hardest to ignore her, but it was hard when she was right there. She held up her hand and looked at her nails. "So, you still racing your Carrera GT, Scar face?" Zula asked her brother. Zuko wasn't like other students in his high school. He went behind his uncle's back every once in a while and raced his car. It was no-rules street racing, and he normally walked away without a scratch and a handful of cash. But if his uncle or father knew that he street raced, he'd be in for it!

"I haven't since the first snowfall." He informed her.

"That's a shame. Those who watch you race say you're real good."

"Zula, I swear, if you tell Uncle or Dad that I race, I'm gonna-"

"Easy, easy!" Zula said, "I never said I was going to rat on you. So how much money did you make the last time you raced?"

"About six hundred."

"Came in third place, again?"

"Only twice." Zuko growled, "Now will you PLEASE go away! Nobody invited you!" Zuko turned and looked at his little sister. She just glared at him.

"Suit yourself. I was just going to make a proposition." Zula said and went to walk off. Zuko tried to let it pass, but couldn't.

"What proposition?" he asked. Zula turned while wearing an evil grin.

"I was gonna ask you to help promote my friend and in exchange we'd cut you in. You know, give you some money in case you come in third place again." Zula replied. Zuko looked at Zula like she was crazy.

"What're you talking about?" he gave her a look, telling her she was an idiot. She just narrowed her eyes.

"There's a city-wide contest going on. It's called the Holiday Jingle Jam. And whoever wins gets $500 in cash. And we'd give you…let's say 20 percent."

"How do you know you're gonna win?" Sokka asked with hatred in his voice.

"Hello, did you hear me? I'm not entering! I'm entering my friend! Have you heard her sing? There's nobody who can beat her! Not even Mariah Carrey could beat her!" Zula answered, "Anyway, we're after much more than the city-wide contest. There's going to be a state-wide contest on Christmas Eve night, and whoever wins that gets a record deal!"

"What're you up to?" Katara asked.

"My plan is to enter my friend, win the city competition, then the state and become her manager when she hits it big. We'll make a fortune!"

"Who's your friend?"

"Celeste, her name is Celeste. And she's the best singer in the world." Zula informed them.

"I want to enter!" Katara came in.

"Ha! Don't even bother! You'll lose miserably!" and then she spoke to Zuko again. "So Zuko, you in, or are you out?" Zuko thought for a minute. He hated Zula, but then again it wasn't Zula he would be helping.

"Fine." Zuko gave in. He could use the cash to get new hubs for his car. "When can I meet her?"

"Saturday, at Suki's birthday party. She'll be there. We'll meet up." And she walked away. It seemed like a simple idea. Go to a party, meet the girl, make a website or something for her and earn some money. Nothing more than a simple plan.

After school, Zuko went back to his uncle's house and plopped down on the couch to watch some TV. His uncle was asleep in the recliner, snoring loudly. Zuko turned up the volume and tried to ignore it, but nothing helped to filter out the sound of the old man's noise. Zuko grew frustrated and threw a couch pillow at his uncle, waking him up. "What? What happened?" Iroh asked as he awoke. Zuko just shook his head and continued to watch TV. He put his feet up on the table, like his uncle had told him a million times not to do when all of a sudden there a commercial came on in the middle of the program.

Loud music played and there were flashing red lights. It was a commercial for a new game system. It was called Prodigy, and it was more than a game system. It was a DVD player, a CD player with large speakers and could play almost any game made! Zuko looked interested and woke his uncle again. "Uncle, did you see that? That's the coolest game system I've ever seen! They haven't made anything like that, ever! I gotta have it." He said.

"Oh, Zuko, you and your game systems. By next year, it'll be nothing. And kids will be after some new type of game system. Whatever a game system is. Why, in my day, there were no such things and game systems. Girls played with homemade dolls and guys played sports or went hunting."

"Yeah, but you're ancient!" Zuko teased. "I wonder how much it is." And then the commercial ended with a price range on it. It was $700! Zuko's eyes got wide and his uncle laughed.

"I gotta have it!" he mocked Zuko and continued to laugh. "I might be getting you something for Christmas but I am not getting you that, Zuko!" Zuko thought about the deal he made with Zula in the morning, and then on top of a race, if he didn't come in third place, he could easily pay for it! In fact he'd have enough to buy it and some new games. He smiled, settling the plan in his head.

"Oh, I'll get it Uncle." He said.


	3. Meet Celeste

Saturday, December 5th, came faster than expected, and it came along with more snow on the ground. Much to Zuko's discontentment. And it was soon time for the party. Zuko knew Suki from his Karate classes that he used to take back in middle school. The two were never really good friends, but Zula hooked him up with an invitation. So he got dressed in his party clothes, which included some cologne and a silver chain and drove over to the party. Of course, he had to pick out a small gift for Suki to be able to go. That was the hard part. He hadn't spoken to Suki for years, so he just got her a pair of earrings and wrapped it up.

He arrived at the party an hour late, because he had to melt away the ice from his tires and brush off the car…more reasons to hate winter in his book. But he made it around six o'clock. Suki let him in and took his coat and he placed his present in the pile with the rest of them. He grabbed a cup of fruit punch and walked around, saying hello to the people he knew. There was music blasting, and people were dancing all around. Some were sitting on the couch making out. It was a typical high school party, without parents being there. Suki's parents had let her throw her own party in exchange for not being able to make it back from a business trip for her birthday, so the party was wild.

Zuko was standing, watching the people on the couch. There was a girl on a boy's lap and another couple kissing. He felt a twinge of seclusion and then it saddened him. If it wasn't for his scar, maybe he'd have a girlfriend. He had the cool car, the kind that all the girls wanted to be in, and he raced which girls found more attractive…but that scar ruined everything. And then that's what made him think about Christmas. Maybe he didn't like it because he always spent it alone. He was taken from his thoughts when someone spoke up to him.

"Hello Scar Face!" he heard over the techno music playing from the stereo. He turned and saw Zula.

"Hey Zula." He said.

"I almost thought you wouldn't show." She taunted. He gave her a sarcastic smirk.

"So, where's your friend? Or did you come here alone?" Zuko asked. Taunting her right back.

"My date is in the bathroom."

"I was talking about Celeste." Zuko said.

"Anxious to meet her?" and Zuko gave her a look. "Okay, okay, she's over near the snack table. Follow me." And Zula lead him over to the table and up to a girl.

Zuko had never seen the girl before. She turned and looked at him and Zula. She had wavy black hair that went down to her mid-back. Then she also had skin a bit darker than his, but lighter than his friend Katara's. Hey eyes were a bluish silver color. She had pink lips with lip gloss over them. Her curvaceous body was dressed in a school girl outfit with a blue plaid skirt. On her eyes was silver glitter and on her cheeks some blush. Two sets of silver hoops dangled from her ears. Zuko exchanged looks with the girl and she smiled at him. Her name seemed to fit her very well. He was silent, but a million thoughts seemed to buzz in his head. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her face. For a sophomore, she was really pretty.

"Isn't her outfit so cute?" Zula asked. "I hooked her up!" Zula placed her arm around Celeste. "Zuko, this is my friend Celeste. Celeste, meet my older and dense brother, Zuko." Zula did the introductions. Celeste giggled and held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you." She said. She had a pretty voice. Zuko shook her hand, and they were very soft.

"The pleasure is mine." He replied. "Zula tells me you're the best singer in the world." Celeste giggled again.

"I don't know about the whole world. In face I don't think I'm all that good." Celeste spoke to him.

"She's just being modest!" Zula said. Zuko smiled and looked back at Celeste, who was staring at his scar.

He felt a surge of emotion go through him when her eyes fell onto his scar. It was the thing he was most insecure about. And she had found it. Not like it was invisible. It covered his whole eye, and it was rather noticeable. He felt embarrassment more than anything. Here was this cute girl in front of him, and he didn't have the looks to compare to. But instead of her making a face at his scar, she just smiled. It calmed him a bit and he was able to focus on other things. Maybe she didn't care about the scar.

"So, Zula tells me you're a racer." Celeste inquired. Zuko nodded. "Sounds like real action."

"I guess."

"You should really be careful doing that. A lot of people get badly hurt."

"I race safe." He said.

"Well, now that we all know each other," Zula started, "Zuko, we'd like to discuss the deal."

"Go ahead."

"Okay, we were going to give you 20 percent, but Celeste insisted on giving you 25 percent." Zula said with her arms crossed, looking at Celeste like she was crazy.

"It's the least we could do." Celeste stated.

"Now, if she's going to hit it big she's going to need proper advertisement. I'm talking about a website and flyers." Zula said, "And maybe even a CD. You have the tools needed to burn songs from a cassette to a CD."

"Take it easy, Zula!" Celeste laughed. "I don't think we need all of that."

"Don't you want to get big?" Zula asked.

"Well, yeah…but we don't want to push Zuko to do too much. Let's try not to take advantage of him."

"Whatever." Zula said, and then a boy walked over to her and placed his arm around her. Zula looked up at the boy and smiled, "My boyfriend's here. We're gonna leave and go back to my place…if you know what I mean." Zula said with a grin. "You two sort out the rest." And Zula left with her boyfriend.

Zuko and Celeste watched her leave. The two of them were silent. They looked around them, and even at the floor and ceiling. Celeste pulled some hair behind her ear and Zuko swirled the ice cubes in his drink. They didn't speak for a moment or two. Zuko didn't like the silence, and decided to break it. "So, what else is there to discuss?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Nothing I guess." She answered, "Oh! Zula wants you to use your video camera to record me singing in the auditorium on Monday. We asked the principal, and he let us borrow it for ten minutes."  
"Sounds good."

"I'm just gonna sing one of my numbers and all you have to do is record it and put it on the website."

"No problem." Zuko replied.

"Oh, gees, look at the time." Celeste pointed to her watch. "I have to get home. But, I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah, Monday it is."

"It was nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too." And Celeste began to weave her way through the people.

"Bye Zuko."

"Bye…" he said as she walked way, "Celeste." And he watched her walk until she was out of the house. He had to admit, he was looking forward to Monday.


	4. The Angel's Voice

Monday came quickly, and Zuko was back in school. Not exactly where he wanted to be, but he knew that he was going to see Celeste sometime in the day and for some reason it made the day a bit easier for him. He didn't deny it, he thought she was very pretty, and he anxious to hear what she could do. Zula made it seem like she was unbeatable. Maybe it was all just talk, or maybe she really was impressive. In the morning, Zula walked over to Zuko and his friends. "Be in the auditorium right after school. We only have ten minutes. Do you have your digital camera?" and he nodded, "The one that records video right?"

"No duh." He replied. "I got it." He was getting sick of his sister's constant nagging. Zula just glared at him.

"I want everything to be perfect. Did you start the website?"

"I will tonight."

"Why didn't you last night?" Zula asked, annoyed.

"Because I didn't want to. There will be plenty of time."

"Zuko, today is the seventh day of December. Christmas will be rolling around the corner shortly. It has to be up with people viewing by Christmas Eve! You got it?"

Zuko scoffed, "I got it, okay?" and then he crossed his arms. "Why don't you do any of this yourself?"

"Because I'm the manager! My job is to make sure Celeste is doing what is in her best interest. It being this close to the competition, I have to make sure she doesn't do anything to put her voice at stake. She has to keep the gift in perfect condition!"

"When is the competition?" Katara asked.

"Still thinking about signing up?"

"You know it." She replied with a smile. Zula smirked.

"Hmm. It's December 15th. But you might as well not show up. Celeste is going to scare the pants off of the other contestants when they hear her." She said, "You few are welcome to show up in the auditorium today and witness the phenomenon if you like. Just be there right after the bell rings." And Zula walked off. The group began to walk in the other direction.

"So, did you meat Celeste?" Sokka asked. Zuko nodded. "Was she nice?"

"She's very nice." Zuko said. Sokka bounced his eyebrow, hinting a deeper meaning to him. Zuko looked at him and shook his head. "Not like that. I just mean she's nice."

"Does she sing really well?" Katara asked.

"I haven't heard her sing." Zuko said. "I just met her and talked with her for a few minutes."

"Well I wanna go see her sing," Aang said, "I wanna see if she's a good as Zula says."

"Yeah, your sister can bend the truth." Katara butt in. Zuko shrugged.

"We'll just have to wait and see." He told them all, and he too was anxious to see what this girl was capable of.

Later, after the last bell of the day rang, and the students rushed out of their classrooms, the group met up in the hallway and headed to the auditorium. Katara was showing off a piece of paper. "Look, I got an entry form from my music teacher." She said.

"Just don't be too upset if she's better than you Katara." Aang said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Katara asked, making Aang turn away and blush. Zuko was readying his digital camera, changing the settings to video record and wiping off the lens with his sleeve. They entered the auditorium and spotted Zula standing in the front, talking to Celeste. Zuko's eyes immediately went directly to her. She was in a white sweater that hung off one shoulder with back pants and a matching belt over the waist of the sweater. Her hair was in a messy bun, but she still looked good to him. He walked up to them and smiled.

"Hey Celeste." He said.

"Hey Zuko!" she greeted him with a big smile.

"Celeste was just doing some voice practices." Zula said. "We want those higher notes nice and strong." Celeste turned back to Zuko and smiled. He smiled back. Zula must have seen it because she pushed Celeste up onto the stage. "Alright, alright, let's do this!" and she turned to the rest of the teenagers. "You losers have to be quiet!" she barked. And she crossed her arms. Zuko walked up to the side of the stage to get a good full body view. He zoomed in and focused on her waist up. "Ready Zuko?" Zuko gave his sister a thumbs up. "Okay, and quiet on the set! Go ahead and start Celeste." And Zula pushed the play button on a stereo.

Some soft music began to play and Zuko pushed record. "The Little Drummer Boy" played and everyone looked at Celeste. Celeste took in a deep breath and began to sing. "Said the night wind to the little lamb… do you see what I see?" she sang, "Way up in the sky…little lamb…do you see what I see?"

Immediately, the group's mouths dropped open. Her voice…it was so melodious! She started off soft and then let her volume and strength grow. She had a smile on her face as she sang every sweet note. The teenagers couldn't believe what they were hearing. It wasn't like any voice they had ever heard before. It was like an angel had come down to perform for them. They couldn't believe that Zula was right, but she was! Zula had found a singer who could beat most of the professional singers that were already out. It was clear now that Celeste had talent. Enough talent to take her all the way to the top. Zula grinned and crossed her arms.

Zuko was in shock. Never before had he ever heard such a beautiful voice! She had a special gift, one that couldn't be compared. He was speechless, yet a million thoughts swirled in his head. How could anybody be that good of a singer? Was it even humanly possible? Her voice seemed to stick to his ears and flow through his head. Every lyric, every note was a gift bestowed from her lips. Celeste was a real wonder to him now. It was obvious now that some supreme force from above had spent more time on this girl, molding her voice into sheer perfection! Her voice was like a beam of light, so warm and strong, and he was struck with awe. It was more than talent; it was the work of the gods.

Celeste ended the song with a single note, carrying it out with her arms spread out like an angel's. The note lingered in the air and grew softer until it was nothing. She stopped with her head bowed and Zuko had to remind himself to press stop on the camera. He did just that and lowered it to look away from the lens and get a clear view for himself. Wasn't it an angel in front of him, not just a sophomore girl? He had just heard the whisper of the gods come from this one being. How could it be? This girl in front of him, she seemed to perfect! She had one of the prettiest faces he had ever seen on the earth, and a voice that was unrivaled. Katara had her mouth open, and she just crumbled up her paper and tossed it over her shoulder. She knew there was no way she could beat that raw endowment. Aang clapped furiously and the others joined in.

"Bravo, bravo!" Aang called out.

"That was amazing!" Katara spoke up.

"I've never heard such talent." Sokka said.

"What did I tell you?" Zula goaded, "My girl Celeste is the best of the best!" and she clapped with them, "That-a-girl Celeste. Good job." Celeste bowed and smiled. Zuko stuck his camera in his pocket and clapped more. Celeste turned to him and smiled wider. She seemed to appreciate his applause even more than the others.

"Thank you." She said to them and jumped down from the stage.

"Well, that's all the time we have." Zula announced. "Celeste needs to go home and rest her voice. And my ride is waiting for me. I have to be going Celeste. It's my boyfriend. We're going back to my house…again." And she smirked and walked away.

"Wait! How will I get home?" Celeste asked.

"I'm sure my brother will give you a ride home." Zula said and exited the auditorium. Katara, Sokka and Aang shook hands with Celeste and congratulated her on her ability.

"I wouldn't have stood a chance against you." Katara said and left with Sokka.

"Yeah, you'll win for sure." Aang said and left. Celeste smiled on last time and turned to Zuko who was putting his gear on. They just looked at each other. Zuko admired the angel's lips and watched them settle back from the smile.

"So…" she started, "Can you help me out?" she asked. Zuko smiled a bit.

"C'mon." he said and she followed him outside as she put on her gear.


	5. To Change

Celeste put on her red coat with big black buttons and matching hat and white fur gloves. The coat went down to her knees, and then on her feet were black boots with white fur on the trimming. She looked bundled up nice and warm. The last touch was her white fur scarf. They walked out to Zuko's car and she got in the passenger side. Zuko got in and started the car. Celeste told him where she lived and they were off. She was a little bit out of the way, but he was willing to drive her home. After all, she had just put on the best show he had seen. It was the least he could do for the girl.

"So, how long have you been singing?" Zuko started conversation. Celeste looked out the window at the snow as it was gently riding the breeze down to the ground, where it gathered with the sea of snowflakes.

"For as long as I can remember." She replied. Zuko felt awkward spending time alone with the girl who he saw as perfect. He looked at her and then back at the road.

"What got you into singing?" he asked next.

"I think I was trying to make up for something."

"Like what?"

"Like that fact that I can't firebend." She answered. Zuko looked surprised.

"I didn't know you descended from the Fire Nation." Celeste smiled.

"I know, blue eyes are normally passed down from the Water Tribe." And she looked back out the window. Zuko should have known she was from Fire Nation background. That was the only type that Zula involved herself with. Zula was a bit racist at times, and she felt prejudice towards people of different backgrounds. "Your friend…" Celeste started again while looking down, "He had an arrow on his head. Is he the avatar?"

"Yeah, pretty cool huh?" Zuko replied with a smile.

"It must be lonely being the only airbender left."

"He deals with it pretty well."

"That's good to know." And they were silent again for a while.

"How did you get mixed up with the likes of my sister?" Zuko inquired with a simper. Celeste broke out into laughter.

"It's actually quite funny! I had never known who she was before this year. For a while she came to me asking me for singing lessons, because she wanted to be big. But then this competition came up and suddenly she has big plans for me." And Zuko laughed heartily.

"Zula can't sing a note!" he laughed. Celeste looked at him and began to laugh with him. Zuko pulled onto her street. "I'll have your website up by tonight."

"Take your time. Zula is the only one bent on having it up by tomorrow." Celeste said. Then she pointed to a house. "There, that's my house." She said.

The house was yellow with white shutters and a white door. The roof and window sills had snow on them that threatened to spill over. There was a small garage attached to the house and in the front yard were bushes with lights on them and a few light up reindeers. Zuko pulled into the shoveled driveway and put the car into park. "Thank you for the ride home, Zuko." She said and she went to get out, but Zuko stopped her.

"Hey Celeste…" and he licked his lips, "What're you doing on Wednesday?" he got daring. Was he really bold enough to ask her to hang out, just the two of them? If Zula found out she's probably kill the both of them. Celeste smiled.

"I'm staying after school to help decorate the school tree. It's part of the performing class I'm in."

"Oh." And he looked disappointed. Celeste stepped out of the car and Zuko watched as small clouds danced from her mouth from the cold. But she turned back and stuck her head into the car.

"Care to join me?"

"Huh?"

"Come decorate the tree with me and some other students. It'll be fun." She said. Zuko thought about it for a minute. Then he smiled.

"Alright."

"Great, see you then Zuko." And she closed the door and ran into her house. Zuko watched as she waved from her door and entered the house. Then he pulled out of the driveway and began to drive home. He felt different, almost happy. Maybe Wednesday wouldn't be spent just the two of them, but it would be spent with her and a few other people. Maybe that's what Christmas was all about, being around people. But he didn't think about that. All he thought about was Celeste.

Zuko went back to his uncle's house and walked through the door. Just as he walked in, he saw the commercial for the Prodigy game system. And he remembered that he would be saving up for it. He put away his coat and gear and took a seat on the couch with a sigh and looked at his uncle who was asleep in his armchair. Iroh awoke with a yawn and looked at his nephew. "Well you look happy, Zuko." Zuko smiled.

"I am." And Iroh's eyes popped out of his head.

"What's this? My disgruntle nephew is happy? Whatever for?"

"I met a girl."

"Ooh, a girl. That'll do it. There's no romance like Christmas romance." Iroh said, "What's she like?" Zuko sighed and leaned closer to his uncle.

"Well, she's got a pretty face. She's a sophomore, and she has the most beautiful voice you could ever hear. I just got back from dropping her off home, but before that me and my friends were watching her perform. I have it on my camera. I'm going to put it on a website tonight."

"Sounds nice. What is her name?"

"Celeste."

"That's a pretty name."

"I'm telling you Uncle, this girl has the most beautiful voice ever! Take the voice of the best singer and it's even better than that."

"Better than Britney Spears?"

"Way better."

"Better than Vanessa Williams?"

"Better." And Zuko sighed. "She's amazing."

Later Zuko was working on the website. He had gotten to a good start when his uncle came in. "I came to here the voice of this angel." And Zuko had just put the file on the website. Iroh walked over and Zuko played it. Iroh went silent in amazement, and Zuko was silent in wonder. He may have already heard the voice before, but he couldn't get enough of it. It was just as spectacular as the first time. At the end of the video, Iroh spoke. "Wow! That is the most beautiful voice I have ever heard. You know, every once in a while you meet a girl who has been sent by the angels and they use their special abilities for special reasons. Celeste must be one of them. The spirits gave her that voice for a reason."

"Like for what?"

"Who knows. Maybe to change some people for the better. Maybe to change you." And he patted his nephew on the head, teasing him. Zuko just chuckled with his uncle. It was true though. Ever since he had heard the voice earlier, something in him was…different…lifted.


	6. Merely Decoration

Wednesday came very slowly, like every day was twice as long. Maybe it was because Zuko had a lot of school work and a few tests. Or maybe it was because he was anxious to see Celeste. Whatever the reason, it kept Zuko staring at the clock constantly. For some reason, he couldn't concentrate on his work as much as usual. And he even counted down the hours until the hour he'd see Celeste. Was he going crazy? Maybe, or at least he thought he was. He had never thought about a girl as much as he did about Celeste. At night when he was doing his homework, he even went onto the website and watched the video of her singing. As if trying to relive the magical moment from when he first heard her magical voice. He sincerely thought he was losing his mind, but he didn't want to admit it. Why was he this obsessed with a girl he had just met? Maybe it was her voice, or because she was perfect…or because he really liked her.

The bell rang and Zuko sprang up from his seat to dart out the class. He wanted to be there waiting by the cafeteria for Celeste. He pushed through the crowds until he made it to the lunchroom. He stood there and waited, looking at the clock on the wall. He saw someone approaching him and looked down, but was disappointed to see Zula.

"Anxious to see me, huh?" she teased. Zuko didn't answer. "Listen Scar Face, I've decided that I want some pictures of Celeste on the website, and I want it up by tomorrow. It's the ninth now and the City Jingle Jam is on the twelfth. Do you have your digital camera with you?"

"Yeah."

"Good, take some pictures of her. She'll be after school today decorating the school Christmas tree with the drama club, or something."

"I know. I'm waiting for her." Zuko informed his sister. She gave him a look and folded her arms.

"You? Waiting for a girl? This isn't like you." Zuko didn't answer. "Anyway, take the pictures and we'll give you a prize of your choosing."

"Fine."

"What'll it be?"

"I want a ticket to the Jingle Jam to see Celeste sing." Zuko said. Zula shrugged.

"Done." And she went to walk away, but she stopped. "Oh, Zuko...Celeste…she has a boyfriend. His name is Rue." And she walked away.

Zuko stood in shock. Did his ears deceive him? Celeste had a boyfriend? It couldn't be true! He had spent almost a week thinking about nothing but her and it turns out she has a boyfriend? Then again, Zula did like to get his goat. Maybe she was just saying that. Celeste didn't seem like she had a boyfriend. But who was he fooling? Celeste was pretty and had an amazing voice, any guy would wanna date her. "Hi Zuko!" he heard and saw Celeste approaching him. She looked good, as usual.

"Hey Celeste." He replied and he turned away. Was it true? Should he ask her? "Zula wants me to take pictures of you." He decided to stay off the subject. Celeste shrugged happily.

"Okay. It'll be me, you and some other people. I'm sure they won't mind." And they walked down the hallway together. Zuko was silent, not knowing what to say. He had already asked her to hang out with him. What is she told her boyfriend that? "You okay Zuko? You seem kind of quiet." She said.

"I'm just tired." He replied.

They walked to the auditorium and in front of it was a big tree. Three other people were there, two girls and one boy. Celeste greeted them and then they began to decorate. Zuko took out his digital camera and began to snap pictures. First they strung the lights, the white ones and then the colored ones. Celeste was having a merry old time, giggling with them and chatting about their teacher. Her natural smile did wonders and looked great on camera. The pictured came out very nicely. Then the teens began to hang the bulbs. Zuko just stood to the side and snapped more pictured. He got a good one of Celeste stretching to reach a higher branch. After came the finishing touch, the star. One of the teens got out a ladder and Celeste offered to put it on.

"Zuko, will you hold the ladder?" Celeste asked. Zuko set down the camera and walked over. He held the ladder steady as Celeste climbed it, making sure she wouldn't fall. As he looked up at her, he got a perfect view of her behind. He blushed a bit and turned away, knowing it was wrong. It she wasn't single than he had no right to be eyeing her like that. But his eyes wandered back to the same spot a few times. Celeste reached the top of the tree and placed the big, golden star on the top branch. Then she climbed down the ladder. She turned and found herself in Zuko's arms. Her cheeks rouged as she giggled and pulled some hair behind her ear. "Excuse me." She said and he removed his arms from the ladder to let her pass.

"The tree looks good." Said one of the teens. Then they left. Celeste was left alone with Zuko again.

"Need a ride home?" he asked. He still wanted to be a gentleman. She nodded and they gathered their things and walked out to his car. On the way to her house they began to chat about little things. But the idea of Celeste dating someone was still in his head. "So, I hear that the Jingle Jam is on the twelfth."

"Yep."

"Are you nervous?"

"A ton! That's only three days away. I'm not gonna do very good."

"Are you kidding me? You're a natural. You have nothing to worry about." And then there was some silence. "You know, I asked Zula for a ticket to see you sing."

"Really? Did she give you one?" she asked.

"She said she would." He told her. Then an idea popped into his head. He wondered if he talked for long enough if he'd anything about this Rue guy. "So, is anybody else going to see you sing?" he inquired.

"My mother, my father and my grandmother. My grandma taught me how to sing so it's only right if she went." No luck. He'd have to ask directly.

"So, any…boys going?" Celeste scoffed.

"No way."

"No boyfriend, huh?"

"Actually yes," and Zuko frowned, "And no." and he grew interested again.

"What do you mean?"

"I do have someone who is considered my boyfriend. His name is Rue. But we haven't been doing too well lately. It's a long story."

"Well we have some time." Zuko wanted to hear about this.

"He's a real jerk to me. He's too possessive and to harsh. He tells me that my dream to sing is stupid and that I should just try and shoot for a normal career."

"That's not right. If he's your boyfriend than he should be encouraging you to do what you want. It's your dream, not his. So live it."

"Sometimes he really does make me think that I should give up."

"But I can tell you first hand that you have what it takes."

"I wish Rue would talk to me that way. Instead he gets mad at me if I talk to another guy."

"Than why are you talking to me?" Zuko asked with a smirk. Celeste smiled at him.

"Because I like you." She said. Zuko turned away to hide the huge smile on his face. "You aren't like him. And that's what I like about you."

"At first I didn't think you'd like me at all." Zuko admitted.

"Why would you think that?"

"Well…because of…because of…"

"Your scar?" and he nodded. Celeste just smiled at him. "A lot of people may be like that, but I'm not one of them, Zuko. Your scar is just something that makes you stand out in a crowd. But it's a good thing to stand out in a crowd. Like my father."

"What about your father?"

"How about you meet him and find out for yourself." She said as Zuko pulled into the driveway. "Come in and meet him." And she got out of the car. Zuko thought about it for a minute. Meeting the father of the girl he thought about constantly, he'd have to do it eventually. So he turned off the car and got out.

The cold air hit his face and made him shiver. He walked carefully up the driveway, avoiding the ice patches and found his way onto the small path to the front door. He had slipped and almost fallen on the stairs. Celeste giggled as he grabbed onto the railing before he hit the ground. "Sorry, we haven't salted it today." And he stood back up straight and walked up the stairs. Celeste opened the door. "My father came home early today, we're in luck. Daddy!" she called out.

A man stepped from around the corner. And when Zuko saw him, his eyes grew wide. The man was tall, and had a barrel chest, but what really struck him…was the jagged scar going down the man's face. Celeste's dad had a long, bumpy, light colored scar running from his temple around his eye and down the side of his face until it stopped at his upper lip. The scar was ugly and it seemed to stick out like a soar thumb, just like Zuko's. Zuko tried not to stare, but he couldn't help it. It baffled him, how could such a beautiful girl have such a father? "Zuko, this is my father, Yung. Daddy, this is Zula's older brother Zuko. He's the one who's been driving me home. He'll be coming to watch me sing."

"Nice to meet you, Zuko." Yung said and shook his hand.

"You see Zuko, what we wear on the outside is merely decoration. Like the Christmas tree, just decorated but plain on the inside." Zuko listened to Celeste and than looked at her father. And he couldn't help but to smile.


	7. The City Competition

It was the day of the competition, and Zula and Celeste were very serious in school that day. Zula insisted on Celeste not speaking much to rest her voice, and Zula followed her around to make sure of it. Zuko was at his locker, feeling better about his scar than he did before. After all, Celeste just said it was decoration. So when people walked by and stared at him, he didn't let it get to him as much. In his locker was a cut out picture of the Prodigy game system. It was a reminder of what he had his eye on. But something else he had his eye on walked up to him. "Hi Zuko." Celeste said from behind him. He turned and closed his locker.

"Hey Celeste." He replied. Zula walked up behind Celeste.

"Celeste, I said no talking! You have to rest your voice for tonight!" Zula commanded. Zuko rolled his eyes and made Celeste giggle. "Zuko, here's your ticket." And she handed Zuko a small ticket. Zuko gladly took it and placed it in his pocket. "The Jingle Jam is tonight at 8 o'clock. Be there by 7 to make sure to get a seat. It's too bad Rue isn't going." Zula stated, as if she was trying to get on Zuko's nerves.

"Katara, Sokka and Aang got tickets too. But Zula made them pay for theirs." Celeste said.

"No talking! Anyway, is the site up?"

"Up and running. There were already 30 hits last time I checked." Zuko said.

"Good." Zula said, and then a girl walked by and spoke to Celeste.

"Good luck tonight." The girl said and kept on walking. Celeste smiled and waved.

"Seems like people are starting to hear about it. After you win tonight, I'll have it announced over the morning announcements. That's a good way to get fans. Ooh, and then Zuko came make a few copies of a CD and we can sell them during lunch!"

"If Zuko's willing to do it." Celeste spoke again. Zuko just shrugged.

"Sure." He replied.

"Good, we'll see you later. Oh, and after the competition, we're all going out for pizza. So bring some money. Later Scar Face." And Zula walked off. Celeste just shook her head.

"Goodbye Zuko." And she walked off too.

All day, Zuko was eager to go to the Jingle Jam. He even spoke about it with the others at lunch. Katara and Aang were extra excited and Sokka just wanted to see all the cute girls. Zuko just glared at him. "It's more than a beauty show, Sokka. This competition could start Celeste's singing career." Zuko said.

"Since when do you care so much about Celeste? I think you like her!" Sokka teased.

"She's nice. That's all. Plus if she wins then I get paid." Zuko excused it. They all just finished lunch, talking about how they were sure Celeste would win. Zuko stayed silent though, he didn't want anymore talk on how he felt about Celeste. It wasn't like him to fall for a girl so madly, and he didn't want the others to know.

School had let out and it was almost time for Zuko to leave. Iroh advised Zuko to dress up a bit, which Zuko hated doing but it was a formal event so he decided that he might as well. Zuko put on a red chemise with black pants and some fancier shoes. Iroh also advised him to let his hair down, so he did unwillingly. He hated wearing his hair down, it got in the way and felt weird. But it was a good idea. After putting on some cologne he got in his car and drove to the civic center, where the competition was being held.

Upon arrival, he parked in the parking lot and entered the building from the front. He followed the other people and the arrows on the wall to the auditorium where the competition was being held. He walked in and looked around. There must have been a hundred people there, and there were three judged sitting in the front at a table. Zuko took his seat near the front and off to the right side. After a few minutes of sitting there, Katara, Sokka and Aang came up. They were in formal clothes as well. They took their seats next to him. Zuko wanted to see Celeste before she sang, and Katara mentioned that she and Zula were just outside near the bathrooms. Zuko left to go see them.

He reached the bathrooms and saw Zula in a red dress with no back. Her hair was up in a bun and she had makeup on. "Zula, where's Celeste?" he asked. Zula informed him that she was in the bathroom still, getting ready. Soon Celeste came out and she looked beautiful! She was in a black loop halter dress that went down just above her knees and high heeled shoes. Her hair was up in a nice curly style with some wisps hanging down in front of her face. She looked so skinny. But Zuko smiled at her, as if to lift her spirits. He could tell by the look on her face that she was nervous. "Hey Celeste. You nervous?" and she bit her lower lip and nodded. "You'll do great, I know it." He said. She smiled. "I just wanted to wish you god luck out there tonight."

"Thank you." She said softly. Then there was an announcement over the intercom for all singers to report backstage. Celeste looked at Zuko and Zula. "Well…her I go." She looked even more nervous. Zula hugged her.

"Don't be afraid girl; you'll blow them out of the water." Zula coached and then stepped back. Celeste walked up to Zuko next. They looked at each other and then he hugged her. It felt good to him, to have her in his arms, and he cherished the moment.

"Don't be nervous." He said. Celeste backed up and smiled at him. Then she walked off. Zula and Zuko walked off together in the opposite direction.

"I told you she had a boyfriend." Zula said, but Zuko didn't bother to counter it. He didn't care. He was just in such a good mood from the hug, and he wasn't about to let anything, even Zula, ruin the feeling.

Zuko and Zula took their seats and one of the judges began to speak. "Hello and welcome to the city-wide Jingle Jam. We have many young talented singers for you tonight. We will be judging the girls on their raw talents alone, and the winner will have the honor to compete in the state-wide Jingly Jam on Christmas Eve. So please sit back and enjoy the show." And then people applauded. Zuko sighed, knowing that Celeste would be the last to sing. He wondered if she was still nervous, but was taken from his thoughts when Celeste's parents walked up to them.

"Excuse me, Zuko, is this seat taken?" Yung asked. Zuko smiled at the scarred man.

"No, please." And the man and his wife took a seat next to him.

"Zuko, this is my wife, Mina." Yung introduced them and Zuko shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you." He remembered his manners.

It was a long competition. There were at least twenty singers before Celeste finally walked across the stage. The judges announced her first name and as she walked out to the microphone, her parents, Zula, Zuko and his friends all cheered for her. Whistling and clapping for her. She spoke into the microphone with a very soft and feeble voice. She was still nervous apparently. "Hello, my name is Celeste and I will be singing 'Silent Night'." And she took a deep breath and nodded to the piano player. The music began to play, soft and gently. Everyone held their breath. Then she began to sing, "Silent night…holy night…all is calm…all is bright." Her voice was just as angelic as ever. Zuko smiled to himself and looked to his right to see her parents smiling too. Mina had tears in her eyes and wiped them away. To his left Katara, Sokka and Aang were smiling merrily. There were sounds of people making repercussion in awe. The judges didn't move a muscle. Her voice seemed to calm everyone, and make them drop their mouths when she hit the high notes.

After she finished singing she took a bow. The crowd went wild! Everybody stood up and began to cheer madly for Celeste! Mina was in tears and cheered the most for her daughter. Zula smiled triumphantly and clapped slowly, knowing that the victory was in the bag. Celeste left stage and people were still cheering. Finally, after all the cheering died down one of the judges stood up. "The time has come for us to announce the top three places. The person in first place will go on to the state-wide competition. We will announce using first names only." And there was a dramatic pause. "In third place we have Shei." And one of the girls walked out on the stage and took a bow. She received applause. "In second place we have Reyna." And then another girl walked out and received more applause. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The first place winner." And the judge opened an envelope. Everyone held their breath and waited. Aang and Katara crossed their fingers. Zuko bit his lower lip and Zula just continued to smirk. "Our first place winner is…Celeste!"

The whole group jumped up in a roar of excitement! "YES!" They all cheered and began to hug each other! Zula didn't hug anybody, neither did Zuko. But Sokka, Katara and Aang were hugging each other and Yung and Mina. Zuko clapped like a madman. Zula just crossed her arms and looked at him. "I told you." She said in a bratty voice. Celeste walked across the stage and she blushed. The whole auditorium was in an uproar. One of the judges went up on stage and placed a tiara on Celeste's head.

"Congratulations Celeste," Zuko spoke to himself, "I knew you'd do it."


	8. Pizza With Friends

"Celeste dear, we knew you could do it!" Mina cheered as she hugged her daughter. Yung joined in and hugged her too.

"That's my girl." He said proudly. Celeste just smiled at her parents, thankful for their support. The other teenagers ran up to her in the hallway. Zula leaped onto Celeste and hugged her!

"Celeste you did it! We've just made $500!" Zula showed liveliness. Then Katara, Sokka and Aang swarmed around her.

"Congratulations Celeste." Katara said.

"Yeah, you were great!" Aang came in. Zuko walked up to them and stood back a few feet. He just shoved his hands into his pockets and waited his turn to speak to Celeste. He didn't want to make it look like he was over zealous. Celeste walked over to him after her crowd parted and smiled up at him. He just hugged her again, gratefully.

"Great job out there." He said loud enough for the both of them to hear. She looked up from his shoulder and grinned with a small giggled.

"I was so nervous! My knees were shaking and my throat was dry!" She informed him, still beaming.

"But you sounded great."

"You're best show yet." Zula put her two cents in.

"Well, we'll let you kids have your celebration. It's getting late." Mina spoke to her daughter.

"Yes, your mother and I are going to go home. Here's some money." And Yung handed her a twenty dollar bill. Celeste stuck it in her purse. "Where will you all be going?"

"Out for pizza." Zula replied.

"Okay, be home no later than half past 10." Yung told Celeste.

"Will do." She said.

"Have fun and drive safely." And Yung and Mina walked off.

"Geez, I never knew your father had such an ugly scar." Sokka spoke up. Celeste just looked at him.

"It's only decoration." Zuko spoke up for Celeste, making her smile at him again.

The group walked out to their cars. Zula had been dropped off by her father, and Celeste came with her parents, so the two girls rode with Zuko. Zuko was a bit testy on giving his hated sister a ride, but he decided to do it for Celeste. Sokka drove Katara and Aang, so they went together. Both cars left for a pizza parlor, with Sokka leading the way to a place he knew about. Things were quiet in Zuko's car. Zuko saw no reason to talk to his sister, so Celeste sat there and listened to the radio. Zula was the first to break the silence. "Only twelve more days until the state Jingle Jam. I want you to practice everyday after school, Celeste. We'll do it at your house, okay? I want you to be perfect for the state competition." Celeste just nodded and continued to listen to the radio. Zuko wondered why Celeste took orders from Zula. Was she that patient?

The group arrived at a pizza parlor and walked inside together. They found a booth and took a seat. A waitress came over and took their order. Zula insisted on Celeste getting water to restore her voice, so she agreed again. The others got soda and all together they ordered two pizzas. One with extra cheese and the other with pepperoni. The teens had a great time, talking and laughing up a storm. Celeste stayed quiet most of the time, and Zuko wondered if something was wrong. They caught each other's eyes and she smiled to assure him that she was fine. "Excuse me." She said and she got up and walked into the bathroom. Zuko didn't speak much while she was gone; instead he waited for her to return.

When she came back, she looked terrible! Her eyes were red and watery and she had bags under her eyes. Zuko knew something was wrong, but once again he didn't want to seem over passionate and kept quiet the best he could. She sniffled a lot and rubbed her eyes. Zuko grew concerned and had to ask her if she was okay. "Celeste, are you feeling okay?"

"Just tired." And then she looked down at the table. "I'd like to go home." Zuko, Zula and Celeste left in Zuko's car and he took them home. He dropped off Zula first.

"I'll tell Father you said hello." Zula said to her brother and left. Zuko bowed his head and drove off. Now Celeste grew worried about him.

"Zuko, is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine." He said and then they were on their way to Celeste's house. Both of the teenagers knew that there were some secrets between them, and they were both curious to find out what.


	9. The Buzz

There was buzz about the school. Everywhere anyone went there was talk on the holiday dance coming up. Couples talked excitedly and singles spoke of it as fun. The school's holiday dance was prominent for being the best dance of the year. It was a dance filled with good drinks and food and special music. Plus the school staff dresses up as Christmas characters which brought a smile to everyone's face. All around the school there were red and green flyers up. The dance was in two days now, on the seventeenth.

Zuko didn't care much for the dance. Why should he? It was just another stupid school function to him. And there was no way he could ever find a date to those things, thanks to his scar. So he just stood around and put up with the talk. Aang asked Katara to go with him, which was no surprise. Zuko knew that Aang liked Katara, it was simply obvious. Sokka asked Suki and she agreed to go with him. Zuko didn't want to admit it, but he was feeling rather left out. His friends had dates, but he didn't. Katara said that he should go anyway and hope to find one, but he declined. Even Zula was going with her boyfriend. And there wasn't a doubt that Celeste was going with Rue. So Zuko decided to sit out and try to forget about it.

"Man, I can't wait to go to the dance with Suki." Sokka said while at his locker. Zuko just slammed his locker and leaned against it with his arms crossed. "What's your problem?"

"Dances are a waste of time." Zuko replied. He was in a sour mood, again.

"You only think that way because you don't have a date." Sokka said and Zuko glared at him with an eyebrow twitching. Sokka knew to be quiet.

"I don't even care." Zuko growled. Sokka changed the subject.

"So, what're you getting people for Christmas?"

"Hah! Nothing at all, if anyone in my family thinks that I am wasting my money on them, then they are sadly mistaken."

"You're always in such a sour mood near Christmas time. Why don't you just tell us what's up?" Sokka asked and Zuko turned away.

"It's nothing." He said. Katara walked up with Aang and they began to talk to Sokka.

Zuko was angry. He couldn't tell Sokka or the others what was wrong. They'd laugh at him. They just wouldn't understand. Nobody knew what it was like. So he kept it to himself, as one of his secrets. He had a just reason to be so disgruntle around the holidays, and he didn't care if it bothered people. But deep down the issue just ate away at him. His thoughts were taken from him as Celeste and Zula walked up to him.

"Hi Zuko." Celeste said.

"Feeling better?" Zuko asked her.

"Huh?"

"Last night after the competition, you weren't feeling well, remember?"

"Oh…yeah. I'm feeling better now. Thank you." She replied with a smile. But Zuko could tell the smile was fake. And he knew something was going on. Maybe he wasn't the only one with a secret.

"Here's a CD of Celeste singing." Zula said and handed it to Zuko. He took it and looked at it through the clear case.

"Where'd you get it?"

"My uncle used to own a studio. We had to hit and bump a few things to get them to work but we did." Celeste explained.

"Make copies of them. We're going to sell them at the dance for five dollars."

"Yes, your majesty." Zuko said sarcastically. Zula just walked away.

"You coming Celeste?" Zula asked. She turned and looked at Zula.

"I'm just going to stay and chat a bit. You go ahead, I'll catch up." Celeste responded and Zula walked away. She turned back to Zuko who wasn't looking at her and had an aggravated look on his face. "Everything okay?" she asked.

"Peachy, just peachy."

"I can tell you don't mean that. Talk to me."

"I'm fine, really." He said as he turned to look at her. Celeste was quiet.

"Gosh, Celeste, you're really skinny." Katara spoke up. "You're nothing but skin and bones." Celeste blushed. "You should eat more." Celeste opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. She turned back to Zuko.

"Anyway, Zuko, I'm going to the dance."

"With Rue?"

"Yes, but I still hope to see you there. It'll be fun. Maybe you could meet Rue." Truth was that Zuko didn't want to meet Rue, but he _did_ want to tear him limb from limb. The lucky bastard.

"Sure." He said.

"Great, I'll see you there." And she walked away.

Katara spoke up, "You think I hurt her feelings?"

"She does look really skinny, doesn't she?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, and not like in shape skinny, almost…sickly skinny." Sokka commented. Zuko just looked at them. "Don't you think Zuko?"

"She's a little thin." Zuko answered.

"Maybe she should eat more." Aang offered.

"You think she's okay?" Sokka asked. Zuko shrugged.

"I'm sure she's fine." He retorted.

Later, Zuko was in lunch when his friend Bucky walked up to them. Bucky was a funny character with a real sense of humor and nice car! He drove a black Dodge Viper with flames on the sides and had spinning hubcaps. That and his sense of humor is what made Bucky a cool kid. Zuko thought this guy was cool and a good friend, they had both been racing for a little of a year. Bucky might have had a cooler car, but Zuko was a better driver.

"Hey Zuko. What's crackin'?" and Zuko and him did a little hand shake.

"What's up Bucky? I haven't seen you since the last race." Zuko said.

"Ah, I've been busy spending my money. So, what have you been up to? I heard you were promoting my cousin, Celeste." Bucky said. Zuko looked at him shocked.

"You never told me Celeste was your cousin." Zuko pointed out. He would have appreciated it if he had told him sooner.

"You never asked. If I had known you were interested in Celeste I would have introduced you two."

"I'm not interested." Zuko lied.

"I didn't mean like that, man." Bucky laughed. "But since when do your promote people?"

"Since I get a share in the earnings. I earned 25 percent of the $500 they won. And when Celeste wins the State Jingle Jam, I'll get 25 percent of that."

"Yeah, your sister is her manager, isn't she? Zula?"

"So they say."

"My cousin's a good singer, huh?"

"Yeah, she's fantastic. She'll win no doubt."

"The relatives gush over her on the holidays." And then there was a pause.

"So what's the deal, Bucky?" Zuko asked, "You must have come to see me for something."

"Yeah, there's a race coming up. Cozen is holding it. They want Cozen, me and you to race in it. You interested?" Bucky explained.

"I always am. When is it?"

"Christmas Eve night, at the old country road. The winner gets only $700 this time though. But it's still fun. You in?"

Zuko thought for a minute. Seven hundred dollars? That's who much the Prodigy was! If raced and came in first place he would earn it easily and could use the money from Celeste's singing for games. It was perfect. All he needed to do was race, something he loved to do.

"I'm in." he said.

"Cool." And he did the hand shake with Zuko again. And then Bucky walked off. Katara, Sokka and Aang stared at Zuko.

"I can't believe you're going to race the night of Celeste's competition." Katara said.

"Relax, I'll race and then I'll have enough time to go and see her sing. I'll just drive fast."


	10. The Dance Pt1

Time seemed to go by faster as Christmas approached, and the seventeenth came up in a flash. That day in school, everybody was ecstatic. Couples were everywhere, talking about how they had big plans for after the dance. Zuko listened to a couple from his locker. He grew angry as he heard the chat, knowing well that he had no special plans. He knew right away that today was going to be one of those days where his past haunted him to another level. If it wasn't for that scar…

Later in the day, Zuko was in the lavatory, minding his own business. A couple of other guys walked in and began to chat as they went about their business. Zuko washed his hands and listened. "Dude, I'm taking my girl out after the dance tonight. I have a special gift for her. I hope she likes it. I spent a fortune on it." One boy said.

"How much?" the other asked.

"About one hundred dollars. But I'm pretty sure she'll like it. Hey, what did you get your girlfriend?" Zuko listened without even really trying. The warm water rushed out and onto his hands as he rubbed them together. The more he heard the boys talking, the harder he scrubbed. He was growing frustrated, and the reason behind his angst was staring back at him in the mirror. He looked up into the mirror as he turned off the water and his scar was the first thing his eyes fell onto, as usual. He glared at himself. He stood there, glaring into his reflection until the other boys left. He was all alone in the bathroom.

"Look at yourself, Zuko." He spoke to himself. "You're a mess. No wonder you never stood a chance with Celeste." And then he sighed out of anger and moved his hand up to his face. And out of curiosity he placed his hand over his scar, as if seeing what he would look like without it. He found that he liked it so much better. The memory of how he got that scar came into his mind, and he played it out. He growled and removed his hand, revealing his ugliness. "Damn you." He cursed to himself. A flame flickered in his fist, but he extinguished it before he could to anything with it. He wanted to melt the mirror in front of him…anything to make him forget about that horrid scar. But then what Celeste said to him replayed in his head. _It's merely decoration._ And he calmed down and left the bathroom.

Night came early, as it usually did in the winter, and the dance began. Zuko sat alone in is room in his socks and a few dishes to his side as he played his Play Station. He wanted nothing to do with the dance. Truth was that he was curious as to what was going on. In his mind he could picture all the couples dancing, and him sitting on the side being the only one without a date. Iroh came into the room and picked up the dishes from the floor next to Zuko.

"Zuko, what're you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like I am doing, Uncle?" he replied, not looking at his uncle but tilting the controller in the air out of determination to win the game. His fingers clicked away at the buttons fiercely.

"I know that you're doing now. What I mean is, what are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked.

"You should be at the dance." Iroh said, and Zuko looked up from the floor as dismal music played, signifying his loss.

"I have no reason to go."

"One day you are going to regret not going to more school events. Trust me, you should go." Iroh offered. Zuko didn't answer. "Very well then." And Iroh left the room and closed the door behind him.

Zuko sat on the floor, just thinking. But what was the point in going? He would be alone? But then again his friends were there and he was sure they'd let him cut in. There was a shoebox of burned CD's in the corner. Zuko had burned the CD of Celeste singing the other night and had a plan to sell them fro five bucks at the dance. Zuko didn't tell anybody, but he was up all night burning those CD's, just because he didn't want to let Celeste down. But not showing up was a way of letting her down on another level. Why should he care? She was with her boyfriend, what good would his showing up do? It's not like he would come off as the hero for bringing the CD's. Yet he wanted to see how Celeste looked in her dress so badly. He just sighed and looked towards his half opened door.

"Where is he?" Zula asked herself as she paced back and forth on the dance floor. Her boyfriend was standing and watching her. "He should have been here with the CD's at least and hour ago!" Zula was in a black mini-dress with a red corset top. Her hair was in the normal style, with a small tiara in her hair. Sokka, Suki, Katara and Aang walked up to her.

"What's the matter?" Aang asked. He was in a yellow chemise and black pants, while Sokka was in a blue chemise and black pants. Katara was in a blue dress with belle sleeves and Suki was in an emerald colored dress with a flared skirt. Together, the gang looked cute. Like typical teenagers at a romantic dance. But there was one problem.

"Zuko isn't here, and he was supposed to bring the CD's with him!" Zula informed them with her hands on her hips, "Have any of you losers seen him?" and they all shook their heads.

"I don't think he's coming." Sokka said. "Zuko doesn't like dances."

"Well then he's letting us all down! No percentage for him!" Zula said angrily. But then, much to their surprise…Zuko walked through the doors of the gym with the box of CD's under one of his arms. He was in a white chemise with a red tie and black jeans. The teenagers, except for Zula and her boyfriend, smiled at him.

"Zuko, you made it!" Aang exclaimed as he walked up to them. Yes, at the last minute, Zuko decided to show up.

"You're late!" Zula growled at her brother.

"It's nice to see you too." He said and looked around.

There was Christmas garland up all over the room, and red and green strobe lights shone onto the dance floor. There was a big banner that said Annual Holiday Dance across it. People were all over the gym floor, dancing in groups and smiling. There was a certain lifted mood in the room. Perhaps it was simple joy for the holidays. But Zuko was looking for someone specifically. "Where's Celeste?" he asked.

"She's here somewhere." Zula said. "She's not too happy right now though."

"Why not?"

"Her boyfriend was a no show."


	11. The Dance Pt2

Zuko pushed his way through the crowd to get to the punch dish, and on his way there he spotted a row of chairs against the wall. And much to his surprise he found Celeste sitting in one of the chairs! He walked over to her. She looked stunning. She was in white dress with a black drape top that went half way down her dress that dusted the floor lightly. Her hair was up in a perfect bun with white pearls in it and a single curl hanging free in front of her face. Zuko walked up to her and cleared his throat in his fist and then shoved his hands in his pockets. "Hey Celeste." He said. She looked up at him, but instead of a smile there was a frown.

"Hi Zuko." She spoke up softly. Then she turned away again. She was playing with her dress, rubbing it between her fingers. He could tell right away that she was sad.

"So…where's Rue?" he asked. Celeste scoffed.

"Who knows." And then her cell phone from in her matching purse rang. She answered it and covered her other ear. "Hello?...Oh, hi Rue…where are you?...What? Why?" she sounded distressed. Zuko listened. "But why?...Oh, I get it. So it's like that, is it?...Fine, bye." And she hung up and put her cell back into her purse.

"What did he say?" Zuko asked. Celeste had tears in her eyes.

"He said he's not coming!" and she broke down into tears and ran away from Zuko! Zuko watched as the broken girl fled into the bathroom across the room from him. He stood there for a little bit, not knowing what to do. He had never seen Celeste cry until now. He thought about the image he had seen. How could a girl look so pretty with tears running down her face? But he was more so angry at the moment. Who on earth could stand up Celeste? Sokka and Suki walked up to Zuko.

"Where did Celeste go? Her CD's are selling like crazy!" Sokka said.

"Yeah, Zula already sold fifteen of them." Suki came in. "Where is she?"

"She's in the bathroom." Zuko answered.

"Is she okay?" Aang asked as he and Katara walked up. Zuko shook his head.

"What happened?" Katara asked.

"Rue stood her up. He said he wasn't coming." Zuko told them.

"Poor Celeste." Suki spoke again.

"C'mon, let's go talk to her." Katara said and she and Suki walked away from the boys.

"Rue is such a jerk!" Sokka said. Zuko could only agree. At the moment he wanted to meet Rue…and show him a thing or two. How dare he hurt Celeste's feelings. She didn't deserve it.

"Celeste?" Katara called as she and Suki entered the girls' restroom. "You in here?" Celeste stepped out of a stall with a wad of tissue her hand. Her eyes were red and still dripping tears.

"Hi guys." She said and she walked up to the sink and looked in the mirror.

"Are you okay?" Suki asked.

"I'm fine. Just a little upset." Celeste replied. Katara placed a hand on Celeste's shoulder.

"We heard about what Rue did." Katara said. Celeste sniffled.

"He promised me he'd show up." Celeste informed them. "But he said he had better things to do." And she sniffled again. "That means I came here for nothing."

"That's not true." Katara tried to comfort her.

"Yeah, Zula already sold fifteen CD's of yours." Suki came in. "People love your music."

"I came here to have a good time. Instead I got stood up. I might as well go home."

"No, don't go yet." Suki begged. "Besides, Zuko is here:

"Zuko?" Celeste stopped crying and looked at them, confused.

"Dance with him. I'll bet he really wants to dance with you. He came here just for you." Katara told Celeste.

"Zuko really did that?" and Katara nodded. Celeste sniffled one last time and smiled.

"Well…alright."

Zuko stood in the back of the gym, leaning in against a wall with his arms crossed, watching everybody dance together. He knew he would have to face it sometime. Watching them dance made him feel left out, and he expected it so it didn't hurt too much. But it still burned. Once again, out of curiosity he placed one hand over his scar and stayed like that for a few moments. Celeste made her was through the crowded dance floor and up to him. Her nose still red but her spirit noticeably lifted. "Forget it," she started, "You look just as good with it as you would without it." And she stopped in front of him and he removed his hand and put it in his pocket, "Everybody here is hiding something. Be proud that you're showing what's bothering you." Zuko just looked at her for a moment.

"Are you alright?" He asked her. She shrugged.

"I'm doing better." And then there was silence between the two teenagers. "Uh, if you haven't noticed, we're both dateless." Zuko smiled.

"Then it would only be right if we danced." He said and Celeste chuckled.

"I was thinking the same thing." She said and Zuko took her hand in his and they walked out to the dance floor.

The feeling he got from having her hand in his was amazing. He had to control his smiling, and his palms grew sweaty. Even more so he had butterflies in his stomach and his heart ringing in his head. A slow song came on and all the couples secluded themselves from the group of people and began to dance. "I'll Be Home For Christmas" by Vanessa Williams came on and played throughout the room. Aang and Katara joined up and began to dance as Aang's face turned red from blushing. Sokka and Suki walked out to the dance floor together and began to dance. Zuko placed his hands on Celeste's waist, which was a bit skinnier than he expected. He looked at her a bit surprised, Aang was right, she really should eat more. But then Celeste placed her hands on his shoulders and they began to slow dance and he forgot all about it.

Zuko was in heaven as they swayed back and forth together. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Zula and her boyfriend, whom he had no interest in meeting, dancing together. He wanted to make sure he was doing everything right. This was his first slow dance and he wanted to make sure he was doing it right. "Relax," Celeste said, "You're tense."

"Sorry."

"You're doing fine." She reassured him, as if she could read his mind. This girl was amazing to him. She knew almost everything about him just by looking, and he knew she could read him like a book. It was to some level embarrassing, but relieving because he wouldn't have to explain himself all the time. It seemed like nothing could be wrong with her. She rested her head on his shoulder and he was nervous at first, but then he smiled and held her close as they continued to dance. "I'm glad you showed up, Zuko."


	12. Practice

Zuko was sitting home, doing homework on the eighteenth, which was a Friday night. He sat at his desk, scribbling out math problems on a piece of paper. He was interrupted when his cell phone rang from in his sweatshirt pocket. He reached into it and answered it. "Hello?"

"Zuko, it's Celeste." Celeste said on the other line. Zuko smiled, remembering he had given her his number after the dance.

"Oh, hey Celeste. What's up?" he asked.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to come over and watch me practice. Zula and I were going to go out to eat after and I wanted you to come."

"Will Rue be there?"

"I haven't heard from Rue since yesterday, so I'm sure he won't be here."

"Well, I guess I could come over for a little bit." He said with a grin.

"Great, I'll see you soon. Bye." And they hung up. Zuko grabbed his car keys and left for Celeste's house.

Once again, there was ice on his tires and he had to use his firebending to free them from the driveway. Boy, he hated winter. He got in his car and drove off to see Celeste. When he arrived, he was welcomed by an elderly woman at the door. Celeste mentioned that her grandmother would be staying with her during the holidays. The elder woman looked up at him and smiled with her dentures. "You must be Zuko." She said in a shaky voice. Zuko thought about how lucky Celeste was, he had never met his grandparents before they died, and his uncle was the oldest relative he knew.

"Yes, is Celeste around?"

"She's in her room. Go on up there." The old lady let him in. He took off his boots and coat and hung them up on the coat rack and made his way up the stairs. He could hear her heavenly voice coming down through the hallway as he made his way to the door that was cracked open. He knocked on the door and Zula opened it and let him in.

"You're just in time." Zula said. "We're going over 'Silent Night'. That's what she'll be singing at the state competition." And Zula closed the door behind him.

"How many CD's did we sell?" Zuko asked.

"All of them within a matter of minutes. It was incredible. Ever since the announcement of her victory at the city competition, the student body has been very supportive. They sold like hot cakes." Zula explained. "The competition is in six days now. Let's get ready."

"Will you be coming, Zuko?" Celeste asked from her bed.

"I have a race, but I'll be there on time."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He confirmed and then looked around her room.

Her walls were pink with posters of puppies and boy bands on them. There was a desk with all of her school work spilled out on it against one wall. There was a single window with white curtains and some stickers on the glass. Her dressers were white and atop them was jewelry galore. Zuko looked at her bed and saw the powder pink comforter and matching heart shaped pillows. It was a typical teen girl's room. He turned towards her dresser and saw a picture of a necklace on the wall. The necklace was gold with diamonds dangling off of it. It looked expansive. "It's what I want for Christmas." Celeste pointed out. Zuko knew what it was like to want something expensive for Christmas. He still had his eyes on the Prodigy. And after winning the race he would have enough for it.

"Start singing!" Zula commanded and Celeste sighed and stood up straight. She began to sing.

"Silent night…holy night…all is calm…all is bright…" she went on. Zuko leaned back against the door and listened to her beautiful voice again. He kept it a secret, but he had been up all forever one night doing nothing but listening to her CD. And then he stayed up the next night watching the video of her singing as well. No doubt, he was crazy about this girl.

"No, no, no!" Zula interrupted. "It's an F sharp, Celeste! Get it right."

"Sorry." She apologized.

"Don't yell at her." Zuko reprimanded his sister.

"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure everything is perfect." Zula said. "Now start again, Celeste." And Celeste cleared her throat and began to sing again.

Celeste practiced for a few hours straight and then Zula decided it was enough. So the teenagers got their coats on and prepared to go to McDonald's. They figured it wouldn't hurt to have a little fast food. But before they left, Celeste did the introductions between Zuko and her grandmother. "Zuko, this is my grandmother, Grammy Emiko."

"Call me Grammy." She said. Zuko smiled. He thought about calling the woman Grammy and chuckled to himself. "So this is the boy you talk about all the time, Celeste? You're right, he is handsome." Zuko looked at Celeste who blushed.

"Uh, Grammy…we should be going. Bye." And Celeste pushed Zuko out of the doorway. Zuko grinned to himself.

"You think I'm handsome?" he asked. Celeste exasperated and shrugged. He smiled. "Even with the scar?"

"Hey, that scar means nothing to me Zuko." She told him. "You are who you are."

Celeste decided to go in Zuko's car and Zula followed. Zuko asked Celeste if she really wanted Zula to be her manager, and Celeste gave an unexpected answer. "She's alright, but she's after the money, not to be my friend. And that's not what any singer needs." Zuko looked at her surprised. Was it true? Zula was just using Celeste? Now that she mentioned it, it did seem like something Zula would do.

The teens walked into McDonald's and bought their food, but Zuko paid for his and Celeste's. They sat and talked, but Celeste didn't talk much. She looked like she felt guilty about something, and excused herself to the bathroom. "Ugh, she always goes to the bathroom right when she's done eating." Zula said and sipped her milkshake. Zuko grew worried again when she came back with red eyes and a runny nose. He knew something was up, and he was determined to figure out what. Sooner or later, Celeste would have to tell him what was going on. So he just dropped her back off home without saying anything on the subject. But all night all he could think about was what could have been wrong.


	13. One Rose

Saturday morning came and Zuko was awakened by his cell phone ringing. He pulled the covers off of his head and reached onto his dresser without looking and felt around for his cell phone. He found something and put it to his ear. "Yeah?" he said, but the ringing continued and he looked at what he picked up to discover it was his mp3 player. He groaned and tossed it aside and reached again and this time succeeded in finding his phone. He pushed the talk button and put it up to his ear. "Yeah?" he repeated.

"Hey Scar Face!" Zula said on the other line. Zuko yawned and rubbed his forehead.

"What the hell are you calling me for at," and he looked at his clock quickly, "Seven thirty in the morning?" he asked.

"It's the nineteenth, baldy. The competition is on the twenty fourth!" Zula replied.

"I know that!" Zuko retorted angrily. How dare she bother him so early in the morning? Especially since he was up until early morning, looking up information on the Prodigy. And not to mention watching the video of Celeste and listening to her CD.

"So how many hits has the site had?"

"Last time I checked it was over a thousand." Zuko said as he sat up in bed.

"Great. Well anyway, I was calling because I have a date today."

"Good for you." He said with sarcasm. "And I would care why?"

"I thought you might like a date with Celeste, since you have this little obsession with her." Zuko was surprised by what his little sister said and woke right up.

"What?"

"What I mean is, I'm busy today. I need you to go over to Celeste's house and make sure she practices. Are you up for it or not?" Zuko thought for a moment. It would be just him and Celeste, alone, for possibly a whole day. It seemed like a great idea.

"Sure." He said in a bland tone, trying not to sound excited.

"Good, I'll talk to you later." And she hung up. Zuko hung up his cell phone and got out of bed. He was wide awake now, so what was the point of going back to sleep?

Zuko went over to Celeste's at noon. He had taken and shower and gotten ready, making sure he was his best. A day alone with Celeste was something he had wanted for some time now. And now that she was practically single after the whole incident with Rue, he had a chance of getting the rebound. But little did he know what a big day it would be.

Celeste's mother opened the door and greeted him. He said hello back and stated why he was there. She said that Celeste would be happy to see him, and she took his snow gear for him and he made his way up to her room. He knocked first and then he got the okay to enter. He poked his head in first. "Celeste?"

"Zuko?" she seemed surprised. "Where is Zula?"

"She had a date." He informed her as he stepped in. He had something behind his back. He had made a pit stop on the way to her house. Celeste sighed with a smile.

"Figures she'd leave me in the dust." Celeste said and chuckled a bit. "I know it sounds cheesy, but do you sometimes feel lonely?" she asked him. Zuko was surprised by the question.

"Sometimes." He replied simply. Celeste smiled at him again. Zuko looked at her figure, up and down and saw how skinny she was. And it struck him; it really was to an unhealthy extent. But it didn't matter to him. He thought she was beautiful.

"Rue never loved me." Celeste plopped down on her bed and sighed a heavy sigh, heavier than the one before. Zuko approached her and gulped.

"I, uh…brought you something." He said, and he pulled a single red rose from behind his back. Celeste sat up quickly and looked at it with a twinkle in her eyes.

"For me?" she asked, and he nodded. She stood up and walked over to him. He handed it to her and she smelled it.

"I might be new at this whole…romantic thing, but it doesn't mean I can't try." He said, making her smile. "I'm not happy with the way Rue treated you, and I wanted to make you feel better." He admitted. Celeste was about to say something, but was interrupted when her mother calling up the stairs to her.

"Celeste, someone is here to see you!" Mina called.

"Excuse me for a minute." Celeste said to Zuko and she walked out of her room and down the stairs. Zuko followed her half way, wishing there hadn't been an interruption. He had been doing so well!

There was a boy at the door with jet black hair that was in a mohawk and had a chain around his neck and baggy pants. Zuko looked at the boy and started to chuckle to himself. What a loser! He was just some punk, but why was he there? But Zuko got a bolt from the blue when he overheard Celeste speaking to the boy. "Hi…Rue." She said. She had to be kidding! That moron was Rue? No way! Celeste could do way better than him!

"Listen, Celeste, I wanted to apologize about the dance." The boy said.

"Now's not a good time. I'm kind of with somebody." Celeste hinted, but Rue didn't get it.

"I brought you something." And Rue presented not one, but a half dozen red roses! Zuko's mouth went agape. He had been out done by some punk loser. Celeste looked down at the one rose in her hand and at the half dozen in Rue's hand. "Who gave you that?"

"A friend." She replied. And then she looked up at Zuko who was on the stairway. And something in her snapped and she turned back to Rue and said something unexpected. Something that stopped Rue in his tracks. "Actually…not just a friend."

"Baby, have you been seeing someone else?"

"I should be asking you the same thing, Rue." She said. "I'm not accepting those flowers from you." Zuko smiled, score!

"C'mon Celeste, I spent a lot of money on these."

"No thanks."

"Celeste…take them."

"I don't want them." And then Rue flipped.

"I SAID TAKE THE DAMN ROSES!" he barked at Celeste, making her jump.

"…No."

"YOU NO GOOD PIECE OF CRAP!" And Zuko grew furious! He could no longer stand back and watch this.

"Hey!" Zuko called and walked down the stairs and to the doorway. He pulled Celeste aside and got in Rue's face. "Leave her alone!"

"Or what, Scar Face?" Zuko was tired of being called that, and then it got personal. Zuko grunted and steam came from his nostrils. Rue jumped back. "You're that firebending boy who has been hanging with Celeste!"

"Yes, I am! What're you going to do about it?" and Rue was silent. "Than I suggest you get the heck out of here before things get ugly." Zuko threatened.

"Celeste, you're passing me up for this scarred loser?" Rue asked. Celeste looked at Rue and drew in a deep breath. "You know nobody else will take you…especially with the problem you have." And Zuko looked at Celeste who had a tear rolling down her cheek.

"What problem?" he barked. There was no response from either of the teens. Zuko snatched the roses from Rue and ignited them, burning them to a crisp. Rue glared and Zuko dropped the pile of ashes into the snow. "She said she didn't want them."

"Celeste…" Rue tried.

"Leave. Now, Rue." Celeste said quietly. "It's over." Rue sneered and stormed away. Zuko closed the door and smiled at Celeste. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You did the right thing." He said.

"I know." She spoke, and she held up the single rose Zuko gave her. "I'd rather have a single rose with meaning that a bunch that mean nothing." Zuko smiled.

"Let's go practice, shall we?"


	14. The Hard Truth

Celeste and Zuko went back into Celeste's room for her to practice. Celeste did her scales and sang them beautifully, but they couldn't help but to strike up another conversation. It was clear that they weren't going to get anything done. "You know Zula wants me to sing Silent Night for the competition. I want to sing something else."

"Like what?' Zuko asked from a chair in her room.

"I dunno. A song I can relate to, I guess. Then I can get really into it, you know?"

"I guess I can understand that. What kind of song did you have in mind?"

"Something like-like a love song."

"A love song?"

"Yeah, I've never really experienced Christmas love."

"We can start looking for songs."

"Nah, Zula would kill me."

"You need to stop letting her boss you around." Zuko stated, "You have your own life, you should live it according to your rules and not hers."

"But I should get used to it because she is going to be my manager."

"She doesn't have to be your manager. If you're serious about your singing career, which you are, than you should pick someone you know who looks out for you." And Celeste thought about it for a moment. And then Zuko brought up another question. But this question had a much deeper meaning, and it knocked Celeste off her feet. "Celeste, what did Rue mean when he said nobody would take you because of your problem?" Celeste went silent and looked out the window and sighed.

"He always knew how to get the best of me." She said. Zuko stood up and walked over to her.

"What problem do you have?" he asked, "Because I'd like to help if I can."

Zuko had never really cared about anyone in his life other than himself, and the words were choked up in his throat. He didn't know what to say or what to do. He wanted to express himself, and not screw up at the same time. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach about this, and he knew that something was definitely wrong. Celeste didn't look at him. "You can't help me." She said in almost a whisper, and then Zuko saw a single tear drop down her face.

"Why not?" he asked, concerned.

"There are many things you don't know about me Zuko."

"But I'd like to know them."

"I know you would. But I can't tell you. I'm afraid of what you'll think."

"Celeste…I think you're perfect." He confessed, slightly blushing. Celeste wiped away her tear.

"I'm far from it. And, no offense, but I know you are too." And Zuko was taken aback by what she said. Something in him went on the defensive side and he wanted to bark back something nasty to her. But this was Celeste, he couldn't do that to her. So he just bit his lower lip and tightened his fists. "And I don't mean that in a bad way."

"What do you mean?"

"I've dated some…unusual guys in my life, like Rue. I go for the unique type. And you are definitely unique. But in a way I can't explain."

"How?" and she stepped forward and gently touched his scar, tracing it with her fingers. Zuko closed his eyes and let her touch him. He now understood what she meant.

"I have never been so attracted to someone with…"

"A scar like mine?" and Celeste removed her hand and placed it on his cheek.

"Just how did you get this scar?" she asked.

It was a burning question. Zuko had never told anyone about his scar, yet it was the center of all his hatred. Not to mention his horrible past coming back to haunt him during the holidays. He was a wreck around this time of year, and yet this one girl who was looking him in the eye had managed to change everything about that. If anybody deserved to know what made him the way he was, it was her.

"My father." He said simply, "He did this to me. When I was younger, before I moved in with my uncle, he used to treat me badly. He treated Zula like a princess, and he made me do all the chores and never even looked at me as his son. He said everyday that I was a disgrace. You don't understand what it was like." His insides were burning, "One day I disrespected him, by standing up to him and telling him that I had had enough. And in return he burned my face. I ran away from home the next day and I've been living with my uncle ever since." He looked up into Celeste's eyes that were filled with tears. "And then as things began to get better, my first Christmas away from home came up. My parents were divorced already, and my mom lived in a town far away from my father. I got a phone call on Christmas Eve from the hospital telling me that she was in intensive care."

"What happened?" Celeste asked him softly.

"My mother had fallen very ill. And then on Christmas morning, I got another call…telling me she had died in her sleep. She was too sick for them to save her. I've never been the same since."

There was utmost silence between the teenagers. Celeste just gazed upon Zuko's face. She didn't know what to say to take his pain away. It was a painful discovery for her, and an even more painful confession for Zuko. Zuko lifted his head and couldn't help it, but a tear fell from his eye. Celeste watched in awe as the stone hard face in front of her crumbled. Zuko had let out his burdening secret, finally.

"Zuko," she started, "I never knew. I'm so sorry." She said. Zuko drew in a quick and sharp breath and wiped away his tear. "Your life must be tough. People calling you Scar Face all the time and it's just a reminder of everything that's happened to you." Zuko just nodded, getting a hold of himself. Celeste spoke more. "Now it's my turn to tell my secret." And she turned away from him again.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Zuko…" and she sighed, "I'm bulimic."

He knew it! Of course, that was why she was so skinny! That was why she went to the bathroom after she ate. He couldn't imagine her doing that. She seemed too confident. How could she be in such poor shape? How had it started? An image came into his head of Celeste leaning over the toilet and shoving her fingers down her throat. He knew that that's what she had done in the pizza parlor and in McDonald's. He couldn't imagine what she felt.

"Do your parents know?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"My parents don't know. It all started when Rue said that all singers were skinny and pretty, and that I could never make it if I looked the way I did. At the time I weighed 145 pounds. Since then I've lost fifty pounds. This has been going on for almost a year now." And she turned back to Zuko with tears streaming down her face, "You don't know what it's like. The guilt I feel every time after I eat, and even more guilt after I purge myself. I need help. But I'm afraid to ask for it."

"Why?"

"Because it makes me feel vulnerable. Anyone could take a jab at me and break me easily. I'm emotional." She explained. There was more silence.

"I guess we both aren't doing too well." Zuko stated. Celeste wiped her tears away and nodded. "Not mention that Rue treated you badly, didn't he?" and she nodded again. Zuko thought of something to say to ease her pain. "If it helps any, I think you're beautiful." And she smiled at him and sniffled. "I wish I could be as good looking."

"That scar means nothing to me Zuko." She said to him, "I like you for who you are. I like you for who you are in here." And she touched his chest where his heart was. "There's a big heart underneath all that toughness. And Christmas is the time to let it show."

The words were true, and Zuko smiled at her. Celeste smiled back. He didn't know what to do next, but he knew what he wanted to do. So he took her in his arms and hugged her tight. She hugged him back and they stayed like that for a few moments. But the moment was interrupted when Zula came through the door. "Why isn't there practicing going on?" she demanded. Zuko quickly pulled away from Celeste and blushed. Zula just looked at him and shook her head as she crossed her arms. "You two might as well drop the act." She said. "Start singing Celeste." And Celeste looked at Zuko who rolled his eyes, and it made her laugh.


	15. Problems

It was the next day, and Zuko was feeling a lot better than he ever had about the holidays. Maybe it was because he finally got the burden off his chest. He felt like could breathe, and that he had a reason to smile. So he got up the next morning and did something he never did before. He plugged in the Christmas tree. He sat on the couch and watched as the little lights blinked in a pattern and reflected against the different colored bulbs and tinsel. Something in him grew warm just from the sight of the pretty tree. It made him think about Celeste. Yet again she was on his mind! After the day before he was wondering how she was doing. He was worried about her. If she kept up what she was doing her state of health would continue to go down hill and she could end up in intensive care just like his mother had. That was something he couldn't bare to think about. He wanted to let her know that she meant something to him, and that she was beautiful the way she was. The commercial for the Prodigy came on and he looked at it…knowing that deep down there was only one prodigy he wanted, and her name was Celeste.

He was taken from his thoughts when the phone rang again. He walked over to it and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Zuko, we've got a major problem!" Zula said on the other line.

"What is it?"

"It's Celeste."

"What about her?"

"Get over here, fast! I'm at her house." And Zula hung up.

Zuko didn't even think twice and put his coat on and walked out the house. He got into his car and drove off to Celeste's house like a mad man! He even blew a few red lights. The picture of Celeste lying on the floor from malnourishment popped into his head. He grit his teeth and pushed down more on the gas pedal to get to her house quicker. He hoped she was okay. It had to have been serious if Zula called him like that.

He pulled her into her driveway and jumped out of his car and ran up to the door, slipping on the stairs again and almost falling. He rang the doorbell and Zula answered. "Glad you're here. Come quick!" Zula said and she led Zuko up the stairs and into Celeste's room. Zuko bounded through the doorway and looked at Celeste, who was sitting up in bed in a night gown. He didn't understand, she looked fine.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"It's terrible…she has…LARYNGITIS!" Zula cried out and then pounded her fist on a wall out of frustration, "Oh it's terrible!"

"Say what?" Zuko grew upset. He had driven like his mind was bad to get to her house all because she had lost her voice? "You made me leave the house over a simple case of laryngitis?"

"But the state competition is in four days! She won't recover by then! Oh my plan! My beautiful plan! We were going to be rich!" Zula began to sob without tears. Zuko gave his sister a weird look. She was blowing it was out of proportion. Celeste waved and Zuko walked over to her and took a seat on the side of her bed.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and she just nodded. "Can you talk?" and she shook her head.

"Her voice is completely gone! She opens her mouth and nothing comes out!" Zula informed him. Zuko touched her forehead, making Celeste smile over his tender care. Zuko scoffed.

"She's fine."

"What?"

"She has no fever. She lost her voice is all."

"How did she lose her voice?"

"Because you pushed her to sing too much."

"Huh?"

"You made her sing to the point where she damaged her voice." Zuko blames Zula.

"Now she won't be ready for the state competition in four days! What'll we do?"

"There's nothing we can do. She'll have to drop out." Zuko said. Celeste's face grew frightened.

"WHAT? NO WAY!" Zula yelled.

"That's the only option." Zuko told her. Zula groaned and fire came from her fists. "Calm down."

"I can't believe this!" Zula barked. She began to pace back and forth. "Okay, okay, Celeste, drink lots of tea and water, no speaking at all! Your voice might come back." Zuko just gave his sister a bland look and looked back at Celeste who was looking down at her own hands angrily.

"Don't feel guilty. It's not your fault." He said, also hinting to Zula that it was all her fault. Zula growled and left the room.

"I'm leaving. Call me when you get your voice back, Celeste." And she left. Zuko looked at Celeste who just looked up at him for hope.

"Maybe you will get your voice back." Celeste picked up a mug of tea from her night stand and brought it up to her lips and took a sip. Zuko saw that there was no steam coming from it. "Is it cold?" he asked. She nodded; "Here." and he took the mug from her and placed it in his hands. Celeste watched as Zuko warmed his hands using firebending and reheated the tea. Within seconds there was tea coming from the mug. He handed it back to her. "It might be a little hot, so be careful." He said. She took it gratefully and sipped it. "It's a shame that you lost your voice. If it wasn't for Zula pushing you so much you wouldn't be in this state. All she cares about is herself. She's always been like that. She used to like watching out father yell at me. As long as it wasn't her, which it never was, she didn't care." Celeste tilted her head. "Are you going to be okay?" Zuko asked her. She nodded. "Your parents will be back home soon?" and she nodded again. "Good, than I'm going to go. I have some last minute Christmas shopping to do. I'll be there at the competition. I promise." Zuko said with a smile, and she smiled back at him. He winked at her and stood up. He walked to the doorway and then turned back to look at her. She waved and smiled and he did the same and left.

Zuko went to the mall, happy that Celeste wasn't harmed and he shopped without worry. He found some great bargains and spent almost all the money he had in his wallet, including the check that his father had given him. He bought his uncle a set of three tea cups that had fire nation symbols on them and red gems. He knew that his uncle would like it. He thought about getting his father or sister a gift, but then he changed his mind. They weren't giving him anything but a hard life. Zula would be getting a bunch of gifts from their father. Plus the tea kit was expensive enough. So Zuko just bought Christmas cards. He would have never bought his uncle something, let alone Christmas cards for everyone.

On his way out of the mall, he spotted the Prodigy in the window. He walked over to it to look at it. It looked so cool! It said on a sign that you could put it on credit, and he grew excited. He could finally buy the system he wanted. But in the next window he saw something else. It was a jewelry store, and in the window was the exact same necklace that Celeste had wanted! He moved over to it and looked at it. It was very pretty and available on credit too. He knew if he put something on credit he'd have to pay for it the next week, and that meant winning the race…or working his butt of around the house by doing extra chores. He looked at the Prodigy and then back at the necklace, thinking about what to get. And it was a hard choice to make, but he was comfortable with the one that he made.


	16. A Broken Promise

The twenty third came, and everyone in school was a buzz with talk about Celeste. There was an announcement in the morning, saying that Celeste was going to the State Jingle Jam and wishing her good luck. And all day people walked by and wished Celeste luck when they saw her. People were rooting her on one hundred percent.

Celeste's voice had returned for the most part, and Zula was ecstatic. The plan was still on. Zula was smiling up a storm and walking around bragging about how she was going to be Celeste's manager after she won the competition. Celeste didn't smile much all day, she was way too nervous. However she smiled when she saw Zuko at the end of the day.

"Are you nervous?" Zuko came right out and asked her.

"Yeah," she replied, "A lot."

"As long as you remember the lyrics to Silent Night you'll be fine." Celeste shook her head.

"I'm not going to sing that song." She said.

"What? But Zula,"

"Zula can sing it if she wants to hear it so bad. Like you said, she's not the boss of me. This is my career that I'm working toward." Zuko smiled. "So, I'll see you tomorrow night?"

"Actually," and Zuko rubbed the back of his head, "I might be a little late." He said.

"What do you mean?" she grew interested.

"I have a race." He said. Celeste looked at him surprised.

"A race on Christmas Eve night? Zuko…" she disapproved.

"I already agreed to it."

"But you said you'd be there!" Celeste said, "I don't wanna sing if you're not there."

"I know and I'm sorry, but I'm already scheduled to race." Celeste just looked at Zuko with a sad face. Zuko went to touch her hand, but she pulled it away. He grew shocked and looked at her, not knowing what was wrong. "Celeste…listen…"

"No, you listen! You promised me you'd be there!"

"You don't understand."

"No, you don't understand. I had something planned…I-I can't sing without you there."

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not." She retorted, "I can't believe you."

"Celeste-"

"You don't care do you?"

"No, I do." Things weren't going as smoothly as Zuko had hoped. He knew she would be upset, but not that upset. Katara, Aang and Sokka walked up behind him. "I care a lot about your big chance. I'm cheering you on the whole way. Trust me."

"Than skip the race." Celeste said. "Don't break a promise Zuko."

"You're not going?" Aang asked Zuko surprised. "But we all said we would go and root for her!"

"My whole family is going to be there Zuko. I wanted them to meet you." Celeste spoke again. Zuko just shrugged.

"I can't just pass up the race. I need the money." Zuko told everyone. Katara and Sokka's mouth gapes open.

"You're racing again?" Sokka asked, "You said you'd stop."

"But I need the money." Zuko said. Celeste backed away from him.

"Don't break my heart, Zuko." And she looked at him with saddened eyes. "You promised."

"I'm sorry Celeste, but I don't really have a choice anymore. This is important."

"So you have more important things to do? I thought you liked me."

"I do!"

"You know this is something Rue would do." And Celeste walked away from Zuko. Sokka, Aang and Katara just glared at Zuko.

"That's being a real jerk, Zuko." Katara said.

"Yeah," Sokka agreed and the three walked off. Zuko grew angry and punched his locker. Nobody seemed to understand him. But there wasn't anything he could do now but go home and prepare himself for the big race tomorrow.

Zuko went home feeling like a real heel. He had blown off the competition from some stupid race. But he loved to race, and yet at the same time he loved to hear Celeste sing. He even loved to hear her talk. And as if he was asking for it, the phone rang. He picked it up and answered it. "Hello?"

"Zuko?" It was Celeste.

"Hi Celeste."

"I just wanted to let you know that I ate a full meal today without purging myself after." It was like music to his ears. She was getting better!

"What made you do it?" he asked.

"I thought about you." Celeste replied. Zuko drew in a deep breath. He felt like guilt was crushing his chest.

"Listen, Celeste, I'm really sorry."

"Sure you are, Zuko." And with that she hung up.

He was torn and didn't know what to think. He had already called and confirmed things with Bucky and Cozen. There was simply no turning back. He dug into his bank and pulled out the $100 racing fee and stuffed it in his wallet. He knew Celeste might never forgive him, and it hurt him to the core.


	17. The Accident

It was the day of the Jingle Jam, and at the same time the big race. Everyone's thoughts were everywhere. In Celeste's house, her and her parents and grandparents got ready for the big event. They all dressed up and had a big dinner. They even made a toast to Celeste and had a family prayer, hoping she would win. Her relatives kept expressing how proud they were of her. She just smiled and thanked them, but felt horrible on the inside. She was more than nervous, she was crushed. She had wanted Zuko to be there so badly, but no, he passed up the opportunity. She was convinced that nothing could make her feel better, and she didn't even feel like giving it her all.

Meanwhile, Zuko got dressed for the race. He put on a red white T-Shirt and his leather jacket with the fire nation symbol on the back and on the shoulders. He put on a pair of jeans and his black and red sneakers. It was what he normally wore when he went racing. He kept his hair in a ponytail and made his way out to the car. His uncle wasn't home, so it was perfect. He got in his car, adjusted the rearview mirror and drove off to the country rode where the racers and speculators would meet.

Celeste had finished the big dinner and went to get ready for the competition. But her parents had a surprise for her. It was wrapped up in a shiny silver bow with a gold ribbon. She opened it happily and was marveled to find a new dress. It was an off the shoulder dress, slim and white with no back and long sleeves. It was made by some fancy designer. "If you're going to be a famous singer, than you should start to dress like one." Her father said to her. She just smiled down at it and then turned up to look her dad in the eyes.

"Thanks Daddy." It would have meant no much more to her if Zuko had been able to see her in it.

Zuko arrived at the racing point and pulled his car up to the starting line. He made sure it was lined up evenly with Cozen's and Bucky's. People cheered as he got out of his car and leaned against the front of it. He just crossed his arms and looked around. Some snow began to dance down from the sky ever so lightly, and collect with the rest of the snow on the ground. Bucky walked over to him. "You know my cousin's competition is tonight. My parents wanted me to go but I said I had better things to do." Bucky said. _Better things to do._ That seemed to always be the case with Celeste.

"I know." Zuko replied as he looked away, feeling immense guilt for breaking his promise.

Celeste and her family got into the car and drove off to where the competition would be help. It was about an hour away, and she looked forward to the care ride. She wanted some time to clear her head. She wasn't ready to sing. It was just so different knowing that Zuko wouldn't be there. And in her heart, she knew Zuko didn't care about her like he had made it seem. They arrived at the center three hours before the competition and met the other contestants. There were at least twenty of them, and they all practiced in the same room. All the girls sounded great, and Celeste felt a little intimidated. Zula walked up behind and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" she asked.

"I wish Zuko was here." She said.

"Ah, let him go. Let the whole thing go."

"I can't." she whispered as she closed her eyes. "He promised."

"He's a boy. What did you expect, Celeste, really! I mean, you've had bad experiences with boys. I would think you would be used to it by now." Ouch! That one burned and Celeste grit her teeth. This was her future manager saying that to her. Zuko had a good point; did she really want this evil girl to be her manager?

Zuko was in his car now, and so were the other drivers. A girl stepped out with a bandana tied to a stick and stood in front of the cars as their engines revved. Zuko gripped the steering wheel, trying his hardest to get into the zone like he always did. But he couldn't this time. All he could think about was Celeste.

The girl waved the flag down in a quick movement and all three cars jetted from the line and sped ahead! Zuko was gunning it as hard as he could, and then he switched into a higher gear and could hear the sound of the engine revving more. He was in the race now, in second place! Cozen was in first. Zuko kept his foot on the pedal and one hand on the stick. He saw an ice patch and dodged it with a screeching noise! Then there came the first turn! He swerved the car hard, making it skid a bit but allowing it to get its grip and go on. He shifted gears again and kept going. He was catching up with Cozen now. Zuko was determined to win. But there were so many things on his mind. Everything Celeste had said to him was buzzing though his head.

_But you promised…_

Another turn came and he turned fiercely, making sure to stay close to Cozen! He succeeded and put both hands on the wheel, looking for a passing point to get ahead of Cozen! Cozen was an excellent driver and kept Zuko on his toes. But Zuko wasn't going to come in second place again.

_I don't wanna sing if you're not there…_

"Get out of my head!" he growled to himself as he tried his hardest to concentrate on the road. There was another ice patch, and he dodged it! He looked in the rearview mirror at Bucky who was last in the race. It looked like he wasn't going to pass him any time soon. Zuko looked back ahead and saw the last turn coming. It was dark on this part of the road, there were no street lights. Dangerous conditions to be racing in.

_That is something Rue would do…_

"Move Cozen!" he grew frustrated. He wanted nothing more than to come in first place. But his mind still stayed on Celeste. The pretty, bulimic, generous…no, concentrate on the road he kept telling himself! He wasn't anything like Rue, and he wanted to prove it. But he was doing the exact opposite.

And then there was another ice patch! Zuko was too busy pondering to see it, and he went over it! It sent the car skidding in every direction! He grabbed onto the wheel and tried to steady the car, but it was no use! While skidding he hit another ice patch and the car began to spin! He screamed for his life!

...The car struck a tree right on the driver's side, crushing the door. And the driver in it. Bucky stopped his car and jumped out! "ZUKO!" he called out and ran over to the wreck! "ZUKO!" but the car was nothing but a twisted piece of metal now. Bucky continued to yell at the car, hoping to get a response! "ZUKO! MAN, ARE YOU OKAY?" but there was no answer. Bucky whipped out his cell phone and dialed 911…


	18. At The Hospital

The tenth singer walked out on stage and introduced herself. Celeste stood backstage with Zula, waiting for her turn. She peered out of the side of the curtain to see all the people. There was a full house, and butterflies kicked up in her stomach. She didn't want to go out there. Not without Zuko there to see her. But Zula was counting on her. The singer on stage began to sing, and Celeste gulped. Yet another brilliant singer. She felt like she was going to lose, but that would mean that all of her dreams would go down the drain. She heard commotion from behind her and turned to see what was going on.

Her cousin Bucky was standing at the door, begging the security guard to let him in. He was in his racing outfit. He looked like something was wrong. Celeste walked over to the spot of ruckus and asked the security guard to let him in, saying it was okay and that they were related. "Bucky? What're you doing here?" Celeste asked. Bucky was out of breath still and leaned over onto his knees to catch his breath. "What is it?"

"Zuko…ice patch…accident." Was all that came out.

"What?" Zula and Celeste asked at the same time.

"Zuko was racing and he hit an ice patch and went spinning! He hit a tree!" Bucky managed to get it all out. Celeste went into shock!

"No." she said to herself and grabbed her face. She shook her head. "Where is he?" she asked. Bucky just looked at her and didn't say anything. "BUCKY, WHERE IS HE?" she yelled as she grabbed onto his jacket and shook him! "WHERE'S ZUKO?" Bucky still didn't answer. "Is he okay? TELL ME HE'S OKAY!" she shook him again. Bucky gulped.

"He's in the hospital." He answered.

"Oh My God." Celeste let go of him and hugged herself, feeling like she was about to get sick. "No. NO!" Here it was the night of her big chance, and the boy she cared about more than anything had to get into a car accident. What should she do? "Take me to him." She said and she grabbed her coat.

"WHAT?" Zula barked and grabbed Celeste's elbow. "You can't leave!"

"I have to." Celeste replied and put her coat on. She ran out with Bucky but stopped when Zula yelled out to her again.

"Celeste if you leave, I'll never forgive you!" Zula yelled as she pointed a finger. Celeste turned to her and spoke with her arms out and tears in her eyes.

"Your brother is in the hospital and all you can think about it money?" and Celeste grew angry, "You're even worse than I thought! Don't you care?"

"Why should you? Scar Face brought it on himself!" Zula replied. Celeste snapped.

"YOU MIGHT NOT BUT I DO!"

"You're just setting yourself up to get your heart broken again!" Zula yelled. Celeste just exasperated and ran off with Bucky. Her heart was already broken, but it didn't mean that she couldn't love.

Bucky pulled up to hospital with Celeste in the passenger seat. Celeste ran out the car with her cousin and up to the doors. She burst through and ran up to the desk. The secretary looked surprised at her. "Please, we're looking for Zuko." Celeste said. The lady just looked at her puzzled and then realized who she meant.

"Oh! He's down this hall and in the third room on the right." She said.

"Thank you!" and Celeste and Bucky ran down the hallway. Celeste almost tripped over her dress and picked it up over her ankles and continued to run. She turned into the room and saw Zuko.

Zuko was lying in the bed, covered in white sheets. His face had cuts and blue bruises on it. He looked like he was asleep. Celeste stepped in with Bucky quietly. Celeste laced her fingers in a praying gesture and approached the bed as a tear fell from her face. Bucky placed a hand on her shoulder. She pulled up the next to his bed and sat in it. She touched Zuko's hand gently, seeing that his wrist was in a soft cast. "Zuko," she spoke softly, "It's your friends." And with that his eyes fluttered open. Celeste smiled of joy when she saw him turn and look at her.

"Celeste? Bucky?" he spoke slowly. Celeste let tears of happiness fall down her face.

"Zuko!" she was elated. And she took his hand in her smaller ones.

"How are you doing buddy?" Bucky asked. Zuko winced and looked down at his leg.

"I broke my wrist and my knee cap." He informed them.

"Look at your face." Celeste touched a cut on his cheek. "How did this happen?"

"I wasn't paying attention to the road." Zuko admitted. He saw more tears drop down Celeste's face. "Bucky…you mind?" he asked. Bucky looked a bit astonished and smiled.

"Alright man." He said, and he left the room. Celeste and Zuko looked at each other.

"I knew this racing thing was a bad idea." Celeste said, and Zuko chuckled a bit. "You could have been killed!"

"Part of the thrill."

"That's not funny." Celeste said blankly. "What if you were paralyzed?"

"Easy, easy. I'm okay."

"Okay? Look at you!" Celeste was flipping out. Zuko gripped one of her hands and smile.

"I'm fine. But what're you doing here?"

"I came to see you. I wanted to make sure you were alright." Celeste answered.

"No, what I mean is that you were mad at me." Celeste looked sorrowfully at him.

"I was. But when I heard you were hurt I put it behind me. Nobody should have to spend Christmas Eve night alone." She said with a smile. "Especially in the hospital."

"But the Jingle Jam…" Zuko started.

"I left."

"You realize Zula will never forgive you for it."

"She'll get over it." Celeste said with a shrug. Zuko's smile dropped to a frown.

"Does she know?" and Celeste nodded. Zuko scoffed. "Figures she doesn't care. She's just like my father."

"But I do." Celeste reminded him with hopeful eyes. Zuko just looked at her.

"You gave up your big chance at fame to make sure I was okay?"

"Of course I did." Zuko squeezed her hand more.

"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me." He told her. Celeste leaned in and hugged him, resting her cheek on his shoulder. He hugged her back.

"Promise me you won't race anymore." She said, "And I want you to mean it."

"I promise." He said with meaning.

"I almost lost you." She hugged him tighter. And he rubbed her back.

"Hey," and she backed away and looked him in the face, "I'm still here, right? I'm alive?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I thought I saw an angel walk into my room." He said with a smile. Celeste blushed and still held onto his hand, now lacing fingers with him. Zuko reached forward and touched her cheek.

"Are you two love birds done?" Bucky asked as he poked his head back in. Zuko smiled at his friend.

"Why?" Zuko asked.

"Because the doctors said you're fine. You can go. And there's just enough time to make it back to the competition."


	19. Her Big Chance

Bucky and Celeste ran through the doors of the center, followed by Zuko who wobbled in on crutches. They went backstage and saw Zula there. She turned and got ready to lash out, but saw her older brother on crutches and in casts and swallowed her pride. Celeste just glared at her. "Zuko, you're alive!" Zula faked interest. Zuko wasn't so moved and just rolled hi eyes. "Are you alright?"

"What do you care?" Celeste spoke up for Zuko. "You didn't even come to see if he was okay!" and then the nineteenth singer walked off the stage and a staff member told Celeste she was up.

"Go kick some butt." Zuko said to Celeste. Celeste leaned in and kissed his cheek quickly before she ran out to the stage.

The crowd applauded for her, and her parents cheered. Celeste took the microphone and spoke into it after taking a deep breath. "Hi, my name is Celeste. And I will be singing a different piece tonight. Instead of singing the classics, I'm going to sing a new song. It's by 'N Sync and it's called 'Love's In Our Hearts'. Enjoy."

"What?" Zula was stunned. "She should be singing Silent Night!" Zuko and Bucky shushed her and looked out to see Celeste sing. Music started to play and Celeste began to sing with her brilliant voice. But this time was different. She gave it an extra bit of effort, and she sounded beautiful.

_I know great distance still remains between us_

_But there's good reason to hold on_

_It's the happiest time of the year _

_Filled with laughter and good cheer_

_As you watch the snow_

_Sweet love you'll hear me say…_

_You've got my heart on Christmas_

_Inside my soul your love remains_

_Love's in our hearts, on Christmas day_

_The days and weeks and months go by_

_So slowly_

_We are both wishing them to fly_

_As the night begins to fall_

_Twilight crowns the bedroom cheer_

_Such a rush of joy_

_Your love, it comforts me_

_And I do believe _

_Love's in our hearts on Christmas _

_Though far apart_

_As one we pray_

_Loves in our hearts on Christmas day_

_Snowflake melts in your eye and turns to a tear_

_But your cheek it stays dry_

_With your warm smile so near_

_I have no fear_

_We're gonna make it_

_Ooh, ooh, ooh _

_Love's in our hearts on Christmas _

_Though far apart_

_As one we pray_

_Loves in our hearts on Christmas day_

_Though far apart _

_As one we pray_

_Love's in our hearts_

_On Christmas day…_

The crowd went wild as they stood up a cheered! Katara, Sokka and Aang stood up and whistled in the audience for her. No other girl had gotten such a strong response from the listeners. The judges looked at each other and nodded. Celeste bowed and walked off stage. She walked past Zula triumphantly and up to her cousin and Zuko. Bucky patted her back and Zuko leaned on one crutch to take her hand.

One of the judges stood up and spoke into their microphone. "And now we will announce the winner." And the judge opened an envelope. Zuko and Bucky squeezed Celeste's hands. "And the winner is…Celeste!" and the audience went wild again! Celeste covered her mouth with tears of joy and Bucky hugged her.

"Congrats, Celeste!" he congratulated her. Celeste hugged Zuko next, who could only hug her with one arm because of his crutches.

"I knew you could do it." Zuko said to her with a smile. Celeste smiled and walked out on stage where a judge was waiting with a tiara and a check for $1000 dollars. The judge placed the tiara on her head and handed her the check.

"And now…" the judge started, "The future singer will pick her manager." and he handed Celeste the microphone.

"First off, I would just like to thank everyone. My family and friends for coming and cheering me on and telling me I could do it when I felt like I couldn't go on. Thank you so much!" and then she directed her thoughts to the question.

All her life she had wanted to be a singer, and now that she had won she would have a record deal and kick off her career. Her dream was just beginning to come true. There were no more doubts; she was going to make it big. But now she had to pick who was going to be her manager. She knew she needed someone who was really looking out for what was best for her. And she knew who that person was. Zula grinned from backstage and pointed to herself, telling Celeste to go on with what they had planned. But once again Celeste had her own plan in mind. "For my manager…I pick someone I know who is looking out for me. I pick my good friend…Zuko." She said.

"Huh?" Zula was stunned again. Zuko was even more stunned, and he just stood there, not knowing that to do. Bucky laughed and nudged Zuko towards the stage. Zuko just wobbled out onto the stage where everyone began to clap for him. He went up to Celeste who hooked arms with him and smiled.

"Uh...thanks." Zuko managed and Celeste giggled at him.

"Do you accept?" she asked him while people still applauded.

"You know I do." He said with a smile of his own.

Later that night, Zula left the center steaming, literally! But backstage after she left, Zuko and Celeste signed the contract that put them on a record deal. Zuko knew it was a big job he was taking on, but it was worth it. If it meant spending every second of his day with Celeste than he wanted it. Not to mention he could easily replace his car. Zuko finished signing his name on the contract and looked at Celeste who was staring at him with pure joy in her eyes. "Do you think my uncle will be mad at me when I come home looking like this?" he asked her, and she laughed at him.


	20. Final Chapter

Christmas morning came, and she sun was shining bright through the icicles. Zuko had been up for a while the night before, explaining to his uncle why he has casts on and was missing his car. Iroh reacted by downing five cups of tea in a row. And as cheesy as it was, he even tucked Zuko in, much to Zuko's discontent. He kept telling his uncle he was fine, and reassuring him that he was in no pain, but Iroh still persisted on being all over Zuko. He wasn't mad, just shocked that he almost lost his only nephew.

Zuko grabbed his crutched as wobbled over to his closet to get dressed. The doctors would have suggested him getting help, but Zuko being stubborn did it on his own. He slowly and carefully made his way down the stairs and into the living room. Zuko saw his uncle sitting by the tree with a cup of tea and a smile on his face. "Merry Christmas my nephew." He said.

"Merry Christmas, Uncle." Zuko replied and took a seat next to his uncle. He set the crutches down and smiled at his uncle. Iroh handed Zuko his gift. Zuko took it gratefully and ripped off the wrapping paper. It was a small box, and inside of it was a book. Zuko picked it up and looked at it. "What is it?" he asked.

"Open it and see." Iroh said and Zuko opened to the first page. He was astonished to discover that it was his uncle's old firebending book!

"This has been passed down from generation to generation. This book will teach you every single trick of firebending. If you read it carefully, you could be a master in no time." Iroh informed him. Zuko turned and looked at his uncle.

"Thank you, Uncle."

"It was nothing. Now, I am very interested to see what you've gotten me. I've been waiting for you to wake up so I could open it. You're the only person I celebrate Christmas with and I wanted to do it right." His uncle stated. Zuko looked at the clock to see that it was almost noon. "Being in a car accident must really take energy out of you."

"I guess."

"But the real gift I have is seeing that you are okay. I don't know what I would do if I lost you. You are like my son now" Iroh said.

"I know, Uncle."

"You are one of the lucky ones." and Zuko looked out the window at the drifting snow. Iroh lifted an eyebrow. "Speaking of lucky…where is your little singer friend, Celeste?"

"She's at home with her family."

"I would think that you had a gift for her…since, you know, you are so fond of her." And Zuko turned to his uncle surprised.

"You knew?"

"Of course I knew. I know you well. I could tell you were interested in this girl from the beginning." And then there was some silence.

"Actually, I do have something for her." Zuko said. "Do you think that later you could drive me over to her house? I would like to give her the gift." Iroh smiled at his nephew and patted his back.

"I'd he happy to, Zuko."

Iroh opened his gift and was excited. Zuko was happy that his uncle appreciated the gift so much. He even started putting it to use right away. Zuko rested for most of the day, being thankful that he was alive. It was the first time in years he had actually been happy to wake up the next morning. After meeting Celeste, and the accident, he grew grateful for what he had.

The night sky fell, and everyone's Christmas lights came on. The sky was clear, and the stars shone with the full moon, making the snow glow and glisten. Smoke danced from chimneys and the aromas of sweet Christmas dinners danced into the air with every friendly door that opened. Zuko watched on, looking upon this as his uncle drove. They had no family, only each other. But that didn't mean that Zuko did not have any plans for anyone else.

Iroh pulled up into the familiar driveway and Zuko grabbed his crutches and the small, wrapped box with ribbon on it. He didn't get out for a while; he just sat and looked at the house. "Are you nervous, Zuko?" Iroh asked.

"I wonder if she'll like it." Zuko said.

"I'm sure she will. Now go…see the girl of your dreams." Iroh encouraged. Zuko smiled and got out of the car. He balanced himself on his crutches and slowly and carefully made his way to the door, but before he made it there the door opened and out stepped Celeste. The two teenagers looked at each other for a moment.

"Hi, Zuko." She said. "What're you doing here?" she asked.

"I wanted to give you something."

"Give me what?"

"Your Christmas present." He said and then she walked up to him and they both stood underneath the stars. Celeste had a gift in her hand as well.

"That's funny, cause I was just about to go over to your house and give you yours." She admitted. Zuko handed her the small box and she gratefully took it. In return she handed Zuko his present.

"I didn't know you got me something." Zuko stated.

"Of course I got you something." She said. Then there was a moment of silence. "How are you feeling?" she asked him. He shrugged.

"I'm alright." He replied and looked at her, "Aren't you gonna open it?" Zuko wanted to see the look on her face when she saw the gift. Celeste untied the bow and carefully ripped off the paper. It was a small jewelry box, and then she opened it and gasped at what she saw. Zuko smiled at her reaction. It was the necklace Celeste had wanted so badly! Her mouth gaped open as she touched her heart. He could tell that she really liked it.

"Zuko…it's the necklace I wanted!" she said with excitement.

"Yeah, I remembered seeing a picture of it on your wall." He explained, "I was going to use the money to buy the Prodigy, but I bought that for you instead." Celeste looked up at him and began to laugh. "What's so funny?" he asked with a grin.

"Open yours." She told him, and he leaned on his crutches and opened his. It was a game for the Prodigy game system. He looked at it and began to chuckle too. "I saw a picture of the game system in your locker and figured you'd buy it. I wanted to be the first to get you a game for it." And Zuko laughed more. "I'm sorry." She apologized.

"That's okay." He responded, "Thanks Celeste." Then there was more silence between them.

"So…do you wanna stay for dinner? Your uncle can come in too. We're having a holiday ham." Celeste offered.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks."

"Good." And they went to walk inside, but Celeste stopped and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Actually…there's one more gift I have for you."

"What would that be?" he asked.

Celeste placed a hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. Zuko reached up and touched her soft hair. They gazed upon each other and grew closer until their noses touched. Then the little bit of space between their lips vanished and they shared a sweet kiss. It was their first kiss and it was underneath the Christmas moon. How romantic. They parted and gave each other a small smile. Zuko felt like he had been touched by an angel, and in this case maybe he had been. Without a doubt, it was the best Christmas present he had received, ever. "Merry Christmas Celeste." He said. She smiled at him again.

"Merry Christmas Zuko."

**Epilogue**

The following year, in the month of February, Celeste signed a five year contract with Faith Records. She went into the recording studio in March and recorded her first hit single. It made the top ten on the billboards and soon after recorded her first CD which was titled, _Celestial_. It sold an astonishing 2.3 million the first week it came out. Celeste soon became a singing sensation, a singing prodigy, and was known all over the nation with Zuko as her manager. She had hit it big and set out on her first tour later the same year. Her biggest concert was on Christmas day. The entire record label celebrated a full year of success, and the one year anniversary of Celeste and her relationship with Zuko.

The End


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